Ardently Admired
by Lupin111
Summary: A modern re-telling of our favourite Austen novel. Elizabeth doesn't take kindly to being merely 'tolerable', Caroline doesn't take kindly to having someone move into her turf, and Darcy doesn't take kindly to losing control of his life. Or, the one where Jane is a ballerina, Wickham is a reporter, and Elizabeth and Darcy go swimming (eventually).
1. Prologue

"I hate him," Elizabeth declared, throwing herself onto the sofa so hard that it made an audible noise. She saw Jane, her sister, and Charlotte, her best friend, exchange looks. "What? Andrew is an idiot. I cannot fathom how he managed to pass the bar exam."

"Lizzie," Jane said in a soothing voice, "you know he's not very experienced. Not everyone is a natural like you."

"Jane. I'm not a 'natural'. What I am is a law _student_. And even _I_ know that his mistakes are egregious. Ugh. If only we were born rich enough to not need jobs to support our life choices." Elizabeth always marvelled at how her sister tried to see the good in everyone, including Elizabeth's idiot boss. This wasn't the first time Elizabeth wondered if her boss had faked his own credentials. Depleted savings and student loans meant that Elizabeth had taken on this job part-time on the days she didn't have classes to give her some amount of income, disposable or otherwise. Even at the interview, Andrew had seemed like an idiot, but she hadn't been prepared for this level of incompetence. It had been almost a year since she took on this job, and her capacity to be shocked by his ignorance had not diminished.

Growing up in a little town in the middle of nowhere, Elizabeth had despaired of ever making it to the city. When she was not yet in her teens, her mother had divorced her father and moved away, taking Elizabeth's two youngest sisters with her. Mrs. Bennet was now married to a man young enough to be her son, though, inexplicably, she had kept her first husband's name. Elizabeth had almost no communication with her, but Jane kept in touch with their mother on a regular basis. Their youngest sisters Katherine and Lydia were in university, though Elizabeth had some doubt as to whether either of them would actually graduate. Growing up with their mother, both girls had nothing in their minds except for pretty clothes and having a good time.

Jane, Elizabeth, and their sister Mary had stayed with their father, a quiet high-school teacher. Charlotte had been her best friend and neighbour for as long as Elizabeth could remember. Jane, a devoted ballerina since she was a young girl, had left home first to move to the city to pursue her career as a dancer. Charlotte, and then Elizabeth had soon followed her, to attend university.

For the longest time, Elizabeth had grave doubts about actually being able to afford law school, a childhood dream of hers. Now, working through university, scrimping and saving, and student loans had meant that she was actually close to finishing her first year. Throughout all of it, her loudest cheerleaders had been Jane and Charlotte. Elizabeth could not imagine having made it this far without either of them. The three of them were sharing an old Victorian home, complete with a small garden at the back, and it occured to Elizabeth that she should perhaps complain a little less about her crappy boss to her most devoted supporters.

"Lizzie, you are incredibly smart. Everyone knows this. I think part of your frustration is simply because you're much smarter than your boss," Jane said, handing her a small salad bowl.

"Ooooh, healthy dinner! Love it!"

" _And_ I brought dessert," Charlotte added with a smile.

"Seriously? That's more than a little awesome," Elizabeth said, grinning. "I'm so sorry, I haven't even asked you how your day was. You've completed…what? Your second month at one of the most exclusive boutique law firms in the city. How does it feel?"

"Well, I don't think you'll find my stories too interesting, Eliza. After all, I'm just a mere HR assistant." Nevertheless, Charlotte sat down next to her, clearly eager to talk. Jane made up the trio, seating herself on the other side of Charlotte. "It's…still a bit overwhelming sometimes. They just switched the art in the reception, which means swapping out one $60,000 painting for a $75,000 photograph. I get that they cater to a particular clientele but…the opulence and extravagance takes a bit of getting used to."

"Well, million-dollar divorces, dividing up Florida condos and yachts…the firm has to look the part," Jane mused.

Charlotte and Elizabeth both smiled. Recently promoted to first soloist at the ballet company, Jane had had more opportunity than either of them to mingle with the 1%.

"In any event…I have a proposition which might allow you Eliza to offer your own opinion on the firm," Charlotte said, and Jane had a knowing smile.

"You two talked about this before I got here, didn't you?"

"Oh Elizabeth, I'm sorry but I was so excited that I couldn't help myself!"

"The suspense is killing me – tell!"

"Okay…so you know that the firm is run by Angela Stewart, but the senior partner is the famous Edward Gardiner."

"Yup, trailblazer in family law. Didn't he help write the reforms to the statute ten years ago?"

"I think so. He's back from vacation next week, and needs a legal assistant."

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte with narrowed eyes. "What happened to the one he had?"

Charlotte sighed. "She refuses to work with him. In fact…they all refuse to work with him. Thus, the hunt for a new assistant."

"I don't get it…the guy's supposed to be brilliant. Why is his whole office refusing to work for him?"

"Well. He's notoriously difficult. Type A personality, perfectionist, will tolerate nothing other than the best. Plus, he's apparently increasingly taking on pro boo work, which is not what anyone joins the firm to do. Last but not the least, and this is confidential, he's stepped outside of family law to start working on a class action. Trying to sue Morley Pharmaceuticals for a prenatal drug that's left hundreds of babies disabled."

"Wow…isn't that something to be admired?" Personality aside, Elizabeth thought that the class action sounded like a laudable exercise.

Charlotte shrugged. "It's pro bono work until you win, and way outside the firm's expertise. It's way outside Edward's own expertise. He's the senior partner, so no one tells him anything, but his projects and he himself are becoming highly unpopular within the firm. The level of perfection he requires means none of the admin staff wants to work for him. Eliza, you don't have any classes during the summer; if you'll work for him full-time during the summer, we can switch to part-time once your classes start. The money is good, you'll definitely learn more from him than you will in all your years at law school, and if anyone can handle him, it's you. I've met him, and he is not nearly as scary as the others make him out to be. I _know_ that you'll be perfect for this job."

"Charlotte…you just got there, you can't be giving away jobs to all your friends and family."

"Not all," Charlotte replied, smiling. "Just one."

"And you are so smart, and more than capable!" Jane exclaimed. "You _so_ hate working for Andrew, Lizzie. The job Charlotte is offering is a step in the right direction."

Elizabeth looked from Jane to Charlotte. Jane was right; she loathed working for her incompetent boss, but as someone with no connections in the industry, it had been impossible to find a decent job. Even though she had moved to the city soon after Jane and Charlotte, she had not made the sort of friends that would aid one in finding appropriate jobs in her chosen field.

"Eliza, I have to warn you though; working for Edward is hard, but what you will learn is totally worth it. That knowledge, and the money you earn, will be all you will like at Gardiner Stewart. The lawyers are almost all snotty little princesses, and the admin staff will probably not make too much effort with you once they learn that you're a law student. I'm not going to lie to you…I think you'll dislike most of the crowd there."

Elizabeth smiled. "Charlotte, I love that there is nothing but the truth from you. Let me interview for the job and see – perhaps I won't even get it. And if I do, I dare say snotty superiors are infinitely preferable to incompetent ones like Andrew! Besides which, _you_ will be there."

Charlotte beamed, and Jane gave her mini-hug.

"I'm so glad we had this chat before I had to leave," Jane said. "You deserve so much more than being stuck where you are."

"Oh right, I forgot, you're going out tonight. And how is the mysterious Charles doing?"

"Jane's blind date!" Charlotte exclaimed good-naturedly. "Jane, tell us something before you leave. After all, the likes of us only get to live vicariously through you!"

Jane blushed. "Guys, come on. He's hardly mysterious…I've been seeing Charles for six weeks now."

Elizabeth grinned. "How exact! What an excellent blind date this is turning out to be."

"Honestly, I didn't expect to end up liking Charles so much," Jane confided. "I'm so glad that Amanda set us up. He is everything a man ought to be. Charming and courteous and smart and friendly...I'm embarrassed that I like him so much!"

"Jane! It's good to like someone. Don't be embarrassed."

"Especially with him," Charlotte added for good measure. "A man likes to _know_ that he's liked."

"I'm sure he knows, Charlotte," Jane said. "I'm afraid that I'm not always good at hiding my feelings."

Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged a look; if anything, that was Jane's best skill. She was so good at appearing calm and serene that it was often difficult for someone to tell when Jane's feelings had been engaged. Nevertheless, both Elizabeth and Charlotte refrained from pointing this out.

"Isn't Charles a lawyer?" Elizabeth deflected.

"He is! He works at Kleinman Fitzwilliam. It's a –"

"Union-side labour law and class action firm," Elizabeth said.

Jane smiled. "Of course you would know. His younger sister is also a lawyer, though I'm not sure where. I didn't ask too many questions, because I didn't want to seem as if I was fishing for a leg-up for you."

"Worry not," Elizabeth said. "Now go, get dressed, you don't want to be late for your date."


	2. Overlooked & Tolerable

"So…I'm pretty sure she hates you," Charlotte stated monotonously, looking at the retreating frame of Caroline Bingley.

"Yup," Elizabeth replied, staring at the pile of files Caroline had dumped on her desk moments ago.

"So…I'm pretty sure that she's also Charles's sister," Charlotte added in the same monotone.

"Yup," Elizabeth replied once more, continuing to stare at the files.

"So…have you told Jane?"

Elizabeth finally tore her eyes away from the files to look at Charlotte. "Have I told her that I think Caroline hates me? Yes. Have I told her that I'm 99.9% sure that Charles is Caroline's brother? Nope. I haven't even managed to hint at it."

"That's not good. She's going to find out eventually."

"Yes. I'm well aware of that. Nevertheless, I'm not quite sure how to approach it."

"Maybe they're not related, and we're wrong?" Charlotte asked, but she didn't sound very hopeful.

"We checked him out on the Kleinman website; the family resemblance is obvious. Besides which, how many lawyers are there in the same city called 'Bingley'? I think it's safe to assume that she's his sister."

"Hmmm…why don't we just show Jane Caroline's profile page on our website? She's a smart cookie, she'll put two and two together. Eliza, we can't just drag this out indefinitely. We _have_ to tell Jane, sooner than later."

"See…I had a plan. I thought that I could somehow change Caroline's opinion about me if I worked hard enough, and then there would be nothing _to_ tell Jane."

Charlotte guffawed. "How on earth did you think you were going to change Caroline's opinion? Edward asked her to do the child support indexing research, she got it wrong, and then he gave you three hours to somehow fix it all, and you managed to do it in under two. And then Edward yammered about how brilliant you were to all the partners. Caroline Bingley does _not_ forget something like that. Eliza, my dear, the better you are at your job – actually, the better you are at _her_ job – the less reason she will have to like you. It's been weeks. This situation is highly unlikely to improve."

"That's just fabulous, Charlotte." In fact, Elizabeth didn't need Charlotte to tell her what she already knew. There was no way that Elizabeth was going to mess up at work just to make nice with some snotty lawyer like Caroline. "That just leaves me with having to figure out a way of telling Jane that I've managed to make a total enemy of her boyfriend's sister. Joy. Any -"

"Edward! Hi! Eliza and I were just…" Charlotte cut her off, as Edward Gardiner walked up to Elizabeth's desk.

Edward smiled. "I don't care what you two were doing. As long as the work is done, you can chat with each other all you want. Elizabeth, about the Mansfield trial," Edward started.

"Yes, Caroline just dropped off the files. She…I…I wasn't very clear on the instructions," Elizabeth stammered, deciding that it wouldn't do to throw Caroline under the bus by saying that there had been _no_ instructions. "Do you both just want me to make sure that the file is organised and ready for trial?"

"Yes, yes, please make sure it's in order. I also want you to familiarise yourself with it. I told Caroline that she didn't need to second chair; it's not going to take all six days and she has other files she has to work on. Make sure you read the file; you'll be coming with me to trial, so be ready to observe and assist as required. Got it?"

Elizabeth nodded mutely. She saw that Charlotte was also nodding her head, for some reason. Edward grunted his approval before walking away.

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte. "I could just kill her and hide the body. It would solve all my problems."

"It would. But the ground hasn't thawed yet, so any grave you dig will end up being quite shallow."

"Aren't you my 3:00 a.m. friend? The kind who will help me hide bodies?"

Charlotte laughed, no longer able to keep a straight face. "I _am_ your friend, and that's why I am willing to help you. _Not_ by hiding a body, but instead, maybe I can tell Jane."

Elizabeth smiled, genuinely grateful and feeling blessed to have Charlotte as a friend. "I love you Charlotte. I know you know that, but the sentiment bears repeating." She sighed. "I'm the one whose made an enemy, so I shall be the one to 'fess up to Jane. Tonight. As you said, it cannot be delayed any further. One of these days, she's going to introduce us to Charles, and the jig will be up."

* * *

"Oh, Lizzy, I _am_ sorry to hear that!" Jane said with genuine dismay. "But you know, I've met Caroline, and she seems very nice. She never speaks of her job, and maybe she's just a very different person outside of work, without all of the high stress."

"Maybe," Elizabeth said, though she doubted it. However, she didn't want to disappoint Jane.

"I think if both of you met outside of work, you might get along. It must be hard Lizzy, to be upstaged by a student in the one place it counts the most. In Caroline's shoes, many of us might also feel bitter and petty."

Elizabeth stared at Jane in open amazement. The idea that Jane would ever feel bitter and petty, no matter whose shoes she was in, was ludicrous. Jane was the kindest, softest, most gentle person Elizabeth knew.

Charlotte sighed. "I agree Jane, that being upstaged is hard. It's not a nice feeling to be overlooked. But I dare say that there is a better way of dealing with such feelings, instead of how Caroline is going about things."

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte quizzically; the statement had feeling, and she felt certain that Charlotte was speaking about more than just Caroline Bingley. But this wasn't the venue to ask her about it.

"Of course, Charlotte, but…it's not always easy to be mature. I was hoping to introduce you both to Charles, and this gives me even more reason to do it this weekend."

Elizabeth clapped her hands in delight. "We get to meet Charles! Finally!"

Jane beamed. "His condo is having a party for its residents this Friday, and he asked us all to come. Will you both come? Please?"

"Are you kidding?! We are _so_ there."

After Jane had gone into her room, Elizabeth looked at Charlotte. Charlotte smiled at her. "I have a feeling about this party, Elizabeth. I think good things are going to happen. I'll curl your hair! And I can do some light make-up for you – I know you like the natural look, but we're trying to impress Charles. And Caroline. And anyone else who might be there. What do you say?"

"Charlotte…let's both of us curl our hair." Elizabeth cleared her throat. "I want to ask you about what you said to Jane. Do you…do you feel upstaged? Overlooked?"

Charlotte looked mildly surprised, and then smiled sheepishly. "Eliza…I know my limitations."

"Charlotte!"

"No, no, it's true. It's not a bad thing. I mean…you won't disagree with me if I say that Jane is one of the most beautiful women you've ever seen? She's the quintessential ballerina – gorgeous, graceful, full of such natural warmth and genuineness that it's impossible for her not to draw everyone's attention to her. She's the true cliché about beauty being inside and out."

Elizabeth nodded, unable to say anything in disagreement. She herself had always felt overshadowed by Jane, but it was impossible to begrudge Jane. Jane was all goodness.

"And you…I know you feel like all the light is on her, but you're also this…this force. You're smart and quick and – no, no, don't interrupt. I know I'm smart too, but it's a different kind of smart, and it's not obvious like yours. And you're attractive. Maybe not _pretty_ pretty like Jane, but you know you can make heads turn. Am I jealous? Of course. But not in a bad way. I'm not Caroline. I love both of you, and wouldn't trade my life with you two for anything. I just know that…someday, there will be something for me. And until then, I'm okay with being in the backseat for a while."

"Oh, Charlotte," Elizabeth said, reaching over to hug her friend.

* * *

Both Elizabeth and Charlotte had made an effort to dress up for Charles's party. Jane, as always, was stunning. As promised, both Elizabeth and Charlotte had curled their hair, and Elizabeth had allowed Charlotte to dab some light make-up on her. Discreetly, she asked Jane to do Charlotte's make-up, knowing that it would be an improvement on whatever Elizabeth would have been able to manage. Charlotte's confession to Elizabeth a few nights ago was still with her, and Elizabeth felt that she needed to do something, or make some change. Unfortunately, she was not sure what. She just knew that she wanted her most dearest friend in the world to feel better about herself.

The party was in full swing. The place was packed, there was a table laden with food, and a bar with a ton of bottles. The balcony door had been left open for a cool breeze. Someone was minding the music, and several people had started dancing. The condo party room was exactly what Elizabeth had expected from an upmarket, swanky neighbourhood.

Elizabeth and Charlotte had mingled, and now regrouped to exchange thoughts.

"Charles is lovely, isn't he?" Charlotte asked her.

"He is! He is so pleasant and unaffected and such a gentleman," Elizabeth said, smiling.

"And he won't leave Jane's side," Charlotte whispered.

Elizabeth smirked. "That's his best quality, I dare say. By the way, I met Caroline. She was less than pleased."

"Same. I met her at the bar when I went to get us drinks, and she told me to make sure that neither of us got drunk. I'm not sure she was joking."

"What a charmer," Elizabeth said, and then someone caught her eye. "Charlotte…do you know who that is?"

"Who? Where?"

Elizabeth wondered the best way to show Charlotte, and slowly nudged her closer to the open balcony door. She nodded towards the man standing in the balcony. " _Him._ The tall, broodingly handsome guy Charles is talking to. I saw him earlier, talking to Charles and Caroline. He looks good enough to eat."

Charlotte grinned. " _That_ is Darcy Fitzwilliam. Charles works at his family's firm. He's the son of…of…you know those two judges who died in a car crash years ago? Them. Whatever their names were."

Elizabeth was about to respond, when Charles's voice carried over to them from the balcony. Unconsciously, both she and Charlotte fell silent.

"Come, Darcy," Charles was saying. "I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You should at least dance."

"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I know my partner, at least to some extent. At party like this, dancing would be insupportable. Besides, who would I dance with? I can't even see Caroline anywhere about. It would be a real punishment to dance with anyone else here."

"I wouldn't be so finicky as you," exclaimed Charles, "for a kingdom! There are so many nice people here! So many beautiful women," Charles added.

" _You_ have claimed the only beautiful woman here," Darcy said.

"Jane! She is without a doubt the most beautiful woman I've ever seen! But come on Darcy, Jane's sister is here, and she's pretty and smart. I can introduce you."

"You mean the one in the blue dress? Talking to you and Jane about ten minutes ago?"

It struck Elizabeth that indeed, she _had_ been speaking to Charles and Jane ten minutes ago, and she was definitely wearing a blue dress.

Darcy continued to speak. "She is tolerable, but not pretty enough to tempt _me_ ; I'm in no mood to humour women so desperate that they'd accompany their sister to a random party like this. Go on, go chitchat with your neighbours and talk to your Jane. I'm happy enough here on the balcony. _Alone_."

Elizabeth and Charlotte clumsily moved away from the balcony as they saw Charles turning to head back inside. It seemed unlikely that either men had noticed them.

"Oh Eliza, I _am_ sorry."

Elizabeth had rarely felt as mortified as she did in that moment. She tried to think of something witty to say, but drew a blank. "Well. Not many of us are given such a warning to keep us from making a fool of ourselves now, wouldn't you agree?"

Charlotte merely looked at her.

"Elizabeth, Charlotte, have you met my friend Darcy?"

Both women started at the sudden appearance of two men they were certain that they had left behind on the balcony. At least, they were certain that they had left behind _one_ of the men.

"Nice to meet you," Charlotte said, shaking Darcy's hand.

"Charmed," Elizabeth said. She didn't bother shaking his hand; instead, she opted to hold her drink with both hands, awkward as that may look.

Darcy was clearly surprised at what she did, but nodded at both of them.

"Are you having a good time?" Charles asked.

"It's _wonderful_ ," Elizabeth said. "So many delightful people. So much dancing. Everything a party should be."

Charles beamed. "Darcy, this is Jane's sister."

"And Charlotte is our best friend since forever and a day."

"Still drinking, Elizabeth?"

 _Great,_ Elizabeth thought. She smiled wanly. "Caroline. I was just telling your brother what a delightful party this was."

"Do you two know each other?" Charles asked, surprised.

"Oh," Caroline said, waving her hand towards Elizabeth and Charlotte, "they're both assistants at the firm. I'm sure I've mentioned them."

Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged a discreet look. Charles looked embarrassed by his sister. Darcy's expression was inscrutable. Oh, to have Jane materialise before them right now, Elizabeth thought.

Fortunately, Charlotte was almost as adept as Jane at steering conversations towards safer topics. "I understand both of you work at the same firm," she said, looking at Charles and Darcy. "Isn't it nice to have a friend at work?"

Charles grinned. "I find it nice. Darcy may find it annoying."

"Are you fishing for compliments, Charles?" Darcy asked.

"Yes, because sensible, good-humoured, pleasant men are in such desperate need of compliments," Elizabeth said, with an eyeroll.

Darcy started. "I did not imply that Charles was desperate."

"You implied that he was desperate for _your_ good opinion."

"I think _anyone_ would value Darcy's good opinion," Caroline declared.

Elizabeth and Charlotte both turned to Caroline in surprise, and ended up missing Darcy's expression of pure embarrassment. "Caroline –" he started.

"You would know better than me," Elizabeth said, speaking over Darcy. "Charles, are we allowed to step out onto the balcony? Charlotte and I were wondering if we could go out and have a look at the view."

"Of course," Charles said, and mercifully, it put an end to the discussion.

For Jane's sake, Elizabeth thought that it would be wise to limit her interactions with both Caroline and Darcy for the rest of the evening.


	3. Happiness in Marriage

_A week later_

"Lizzy, are you sure you don't want to join us?" Jane asked her.

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose.

Charlotte laughed. "I'm not sure you want to hear the answer to that question, Jane."

"But Lizzy, even Charlotte agreed to come with us. You'd get to know Charles better. He invited you."

"Jane, darling, I'm sure he did, and Charles is truly delightful, but you told me that a certain Mr. Fitzwilliam would also be in attendance. _I'm_ in no mood to humour men who think I'm desperate and merely tolerable. And besides him, Caroline will be there as well."

Charlotte spoke. "Eliza, you _know_ that you are considerably more than 'tolerable'. You shouldn't take his comment to heart. More importantly, I don't think you can really be mad at Darcy for being rude; we overheard a remark he made in private to his friend. He wasn't being rude, because he couldn't have possibly known that you'd overhear him. One cannot wonder that so very fine a man, with family, fortune, good looks, everything in his favour, should think no end of himself, and superior to others. He kind of has a _right_ to be proud."

"That is very true," replied Elizabeth, "and I could easily forgive _his_ pride, if he had not mortified _mine_." The fact was, Charlotte's point made her feel worse, not better. If a person was trying to be rude on purpose, they would say anything, true or not. But to genuinely be considered merely tolerable irked. A lot.

"I think he might have just been in a bad mood," Jane said. "Charles says that Darcy is very nice once you get to know him. Are you sure you won't come?"

Before Elizabeth could answer Jane, the doorbell rang. She stood up, trying to leave the room and make a quick escape, but it was too late; Charlotte had already opened the door and invited the men inside. Elizabeth winced internally. When she had dressed up and done her hair, she had merely been 'tolerable'. And here she was, in a pair of denim cut-offs, a faded t-shirt, and hair in a messy ponytail. Darcy would probably think that she was a hobo.

"Good evening ladies," Charles said, stepping inside first. "Are we ready to – " Charles paused, when he saw Elizabeth at the dining room table with files in front of her. "Are we early?"

"It's ten past seven, Charles. If anything, we're…late," Darcy also slowed his speech when he saw Elizabeth.

Elizabeth ignored Darcy and smiled at Charles sheepishly.

"We can wait while you get dressed," Charles said, and successfully earned himself a winning smile from Jane.

"It's okay, thank you though. I'm not able to join you. I have to finish some work."

"Oh, that's a shame," Charles said.

"You have such pressing work on a Friday night?" Darcy asked quizzically.

"Earning a living. 'Tis a hard-knock life, but I find it quite _tolerable_." Elizabeth deadpanned.

Charlotte and Jane exchanged a look.

"She's assisting her boss on a trial," Jane said proudly, as well as offering the explanation that Elizabeth was clearly not going to.

"Don't you work f…with Caroline?" Darcy continued his inquisition.

"We work at the same firm," Elizabeth said shortly, wondering what horror stories Caroline must have told the two men.

"Eliza works for Edward Gardiner," Charlotte clarified helpfully. Elizabeth tried to silence Charlotte with a look. There was no need to volunteer information that was not useful to anyone.

Both men looked somewhat surprised.

"So the trial you're assisting on is the international abduction trial? The Hague Convention case?" Darcy asked, not without a hint of incredulity in his voice.

"And how do you know about it?" Elizabeth asked, bristling. Just how stupid did this man assume she was, to be so surprised to hear she would be asked to help on a case of actual value?

"I read."

The man was infuriating.

"On that note, I should get back to _my_ reading. I hope you guys have a lovely dinner!" Elizabeth hoped that the smile on her face was sweet enough to induce cavities.

Much to her relief, everyone trooped out soon after, and left Elizabeth alone at home. She looked at the time, and realised that that she could still make it to the local pool before it closed for the evening. It wasn't as if she _actually_ had work to do that couldn't wait until the next morning. In fact, all Elizabeth had wanted to do was avoid a tedious evening. She knew more than enough about Caroline to know that the woman would get on her every last nerve, and she was certain that she could well do without Darcy's condescension.

Elizabeth skipped to her room to quickly pack her swimming gear. She could go swimming, take a rambling walk back home, and have a light dinner once she came back.

Pleased with her plans, Elizabeth hummed all the way to the pool, and didn't ask herself once why she had taken such a decided dislike for a man she barely knew.

* * *

"Charlotte, did you have a good time last night?" Elizabeth asked over a late breakfast. Jane had left early for rehearsals, so it was just the two of them.

Charlotte shrugged. "It was okay. Charles was charming, Darcy was nicer than he was when we first met, and Caroline was the nicest she has been since the day I met her."

"I knew she'd be there. Did she join you at the restaurant?"

Charlotte nodded. "I got the feeling that she was hitting on Darcy, but that he wasn't interested."

Elizabeth giggled. "I don't particularly like Caroline, but she could probably aim a little higher in any event."

"Aim _higher_?" Charlotte asked in amazement.

"Yes," Elizabeth stated matter-of-factly, but there was a spark in her eyes. "Like, for example, a man who knows how to smile. Or laugh. Even Caroline Bingley deserves some laughter in her life."

Charlotte burst out laughing. "You are too much, and you're going to make me choke on my breakfast! And you are distracting me from what I wanted to discuss."

Elizabeth tilted to her head to aside in curiosity. "Charlotte, did something happen last night? Did someone say anything?"

"Not exactly. It's just…Jane. She's so…she's too gentle when it counts. She was so, _so_ self deprecating last night. I mean…she's been made the first soloist, for god's sake. Caroline was asking her questions, and you know how Caroline can get. I wish you had been there. Jane was so dismissive of her own talent, her job, her promotion…you would think she was a part-time chorus dancer somewhere."

"Charlotte, you know Jane. She's the last person on earth to promote herself, and was probably feeling embarrassed, especially being grilled in the presence of three lawyers."

"Which is why you should have been there," Charlotte repeated. "If she's not going to ring her own bell, no one else will. And it wasn't just that. Jane's been raving to us about Charles from the day she met him."

"Uh-huh…"

"It was quite obvious last night that Charles was besotted with Jane."

Elizabeth clapped her hands in delight. "Charlotte, that's wonderful news! Why are you so worried? Do you think…is there something the matter with Charles? You don't think he's a good person?"

"That's not it. It's Jane. _I_ think she's fallen for him and fallen hard, but you wouldn't have known it observing Jane last night. She was happy and cheerful and charming, but it would have been a small miracle if any of those three had worked it out based on yesterday."

"It's Jane. It's just that she's shy. And afraid of showing too much. Can you blame her, looking at our mother? Jane's doesn't want the whole world to know how she's feeling, especially when she is uncertain about her own feelings. You learn a thing or two having a mother who was known to be the biggest flirt in town – and that was _while_ she was married."

Charlotte sighed. "Jane could _never_ be Mrs. Bennett. Maybe back home it may have been pleasant – or better still wise - to be able to impose on the public; but I think that in this case, it might be a disadvantage to be so very guarded. If Jane conceals her feelings with the same skill from Charles, she may lose the opportunity of getting him to commit to her. It will then be but poor consolation for all of us to have the satisfaction of knowing that whole world was clueless as to what happened."

"You don't really believe that?"

Charlotte shrugged. "There is so much of gratitude or vanity in almost every attachment, that it's not safe to leave any of it to nature. There are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten a woman had better show _more_ affection than she feels. Charles likes Jane undoubtedly; but he may never do more than like her, if she does not help him on. It's not like Charles is the kind of man who is lacking in admirers."

"But she _does_ help him on, as much as her nature will allow. If we can perceive her regard for him, he must be a simpleton, indeed, not to discover it too."

"Remember, Eliza, that he does not know Jane's disposition like we do."

"Jane is not actively hiding her feelings. This is her nature. If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out."

"Perhaps he must, but we cannot be guaranteed that he will. Jane should make the most of every opportunity she has. She really should show much more than she feels. Once he commits to her, she'll have all the time in the world to When she is secure of him, there will be all the time in the world to ascertain her own feelings and for falling in love at leisure."

"Your plan is a good one," replied Elizabeth, "where nothing is in question but the desire of having a man – any man – commit to you. If I were determined to get a husband, I dare say I should adopt it. But these are not Jane's feelings; she is not acting by design. Right now, she cannot even be certain of the degree of her own feelings nor of their reasonableness. She's not going to make the same mistake my parents did."

"Well," said Charlotte, "I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were married to him tomorrow, I should think she had as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be studying his character for a twelvemonth. Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of problems; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to spend your whole life with."

"You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself."

Elizabeth was a bit taken aback at how emotional and focussed Charlotte seemed. She recalled Charlotte's comments about being overlooked, and wondered if Charlotte was so invested because she felt that she could only live vicariously through Jane and herself. Perhaps, Elizabeth thought, she had made a mistake in giving priority to her own whims, and not joining the group last night.

"You know Charlotte, I will promise you that I will accept the next invitation, to give myself the opportunity to observe Jane and advice her if necessary."

Charlotte beamed. "Excellent! And I did you a favour – I tried to set D...everyone straight about some confusion, such as _exactly_ what our respective jobs were, and that you were in fact a law student."

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh Charlotte, you are a dear, but I don't give a fig about what Darcy and Caroline think, and I doubt that Charles is the type to judge Jane based on her sister's comings and goings. Besides, you probably just ended up annoying Caroline some more."

"Ha! I waited until she went to the ladies room. I will only take a limited amount of risks without you there to create a diversion," Charlotte said, and both of them burst out laughing.


	4. Sharing Staplers

_"I loved and I loved and I lost you_

 _I loved and I loved and I lost you…"_

Her headphones were on and Elizabeth was singing, with little expectation of finding anyone other than Jane or Charlotte on the other side of the door. Her hair was still damp from her swim an hour ago, and Elizabeth was feeling fresh and relaxed. It was a Tuesday evening during a short week, and Elizabeth was wondering about what they could do over the long weekend as she opened the door. _  
_

 _"…I loved and I loved and I lost you…"_

The words died on her lips as she saw Charles and Darcy seated in their living room, along with Jane and Charlotte.

"…and it hurts like hell," Charlotte finished the song for her.

"I didn't know we had guests," Elizabeth said, embarassed.

Charles spoke at the same time. "I didn't know you sang! We can go for karaoke sometime."

Elizabeth chuckled, and glanced at Darcy, who had an inscrutable expression. "I don't sing…not really. The music was playing and I was just being silly – especially because I thought I was alone."

"Darcy's sister sings beautifully. You'll have a great time with her," Charles said.

"You have a sister?" Elizabeth asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. Darcy had seemed like the prototype for the selfish only child of wildly rich parents.

"Yes, she took a year off to travel, but will be back in university in September," Darcy replied.

Jane shot her a warning look, so Elizabeth limited her response to merely smiling and nodding. She began to wonder what the two men were doing there. As far as she knew, Jane did not have plan with Charles that evening. Luckily for her, she did not have to wait in ignorance.

"Lizzy, Charles and Darcy dropped by on their way home with a wonderful idea," Jane said.

"Yeah, Darcy was dropping me home, and I insisted on coming here first. We're going to my family's cottage for the long weekend – and I thought how amazing it would be if the three of you could join us! There's a stunning view of the lake, and freshwater swimming…"

"It might still be too cold to swim in, Charles," Darcy muttered.

"Oh," Elizabeth said, at a loss for words. Jane looked at her, eager and expectant. Charlotte looked at her, questioning and expectant. Charles looked at her, smiling and expectant.

Darcy was looking at his shoes.

Elizabeth preferred to stay at home, and not go galivanting around the countryside with people she didn't like. Jane certainly didn't need Elizabeth to go on this trip – she was well aware of that. But she hadn't forgotten the promise she had made to Charlotte, and didn't particularly want to be breaking promises to her best friend. Elizabeth wondered if logistics would be a good enough reason to get out of the anticipated ordeal.

" _All_ of us? Is there enough space?"

"Four rooms, so there'll be some sharing."

"Lizzy, it's a long weekend – you don't have to work, do you?"

"Uh…no, but don't you still have practice on Friday?"

Jane smiled as she shook her head to indicate no. Elizabeth noticed that Darcy was looking at Jane with interest, but for the life of her, Elizabeth couldn't understand why Jane's employment schedule would interest Darcy in the slightest.

"Eliza, you don't have plans, do you?" Charlotte asked pointedly.

"Nothing that can't be changed," Elizabeth responded in resignation.

* * *

Not for the first time in her life, Elizabeth pondered on the inconvenience of not having the power of telepathy with Charlotte. If they had, the entire car ride so far could have been spent in utter silence. However, as things were, both Elizabeth and Charlotte were compelled to speak out loud.

"This is weird," she whispered to Charlotte, as they now traipsed behind Darcy in the last supermarket on route before they bid civilization goodbye for several hours. As Elizabeth understood, it was a 3 hour drive to the cottage in Netherfield.

"A bit," Charlotte whispered back. "Do you think you'll have to share a room with Caroline?"

"Caroline? Share?" Elizabeth snorted, then remembered to lower her voice. "Besides, _I_ don't want to share with her. I _won't_ share a room with her, I won't share an office with her, I won't share a table, I won't share a _stapler_ with her. Anyway, I'm guessing that Caroline didn't want either of us in her car for hours," Elizabeth surmised.

Charlotte scoffed. "And miss being with Darcy for three hours?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "How else do _you_ explain Caroline driving Charles and Jane, and Darcy getting stuck with the two of us?"

Charlotte looked at her, equally puzzled. "I can't explain it."

Darcy suddenly turned around, and Elizabeth almost jumped in surprise.

"I believe I've got everything on Charles's _'last minute'_ list. Is there anything either of you would like?" he asked, and Elizabeth thought she saw a trace of a smile.

"No," Elizabeth said.

Charlotte grimaced. "Caroline sent me a text; she wants us to pick some wine…she's specified the type."

"We're not stopping for wine," Darcy declared. "Caroline will have to manage with whatever we already have."

A match made in heaven, Elizabeth thought to herself, as Charlotte paused to compose an appropriate response to Caroline.

Darcy turned to look at her. "I don't consider it _'getting stuck'_ , driving you and Charlotte."

Elizabeth was incapable of looking anything other than mortified.

"The explanation that you were asking from Charlotte is simple; I thought it more sensible to undertake the long drive in Caroline's car, which is newer, as opposed to Charles's. As well, they're picking up Charles's elder sister, who I am not very familiar with. This was the most sensible arrangement."

"You heard us talking," Elizabeth said stupidly. Multiple thoughts were swirling in her head, first and foremost of them wondering exactly _how_ much he had overheard. A close second was whether she should apologise. A not-very-important thought was wondering as to Darcy's definition of _'not very familiar'_ , given that he barely knew Charlotte and herself.

Darcy shrugged. "I'll remember to make sure that you have your own stapler."

"You weren't supposed to…I'm sorry that you heard any of that," Elizabeth said. Darcy shrugged again, and she wondered if the man was capable of doing anything other than annoying her.

Charlotte looked up from her phone. "I texted Jane as well, just to make sure…everything okay?"

"Hopefully yes, so long as there isn't a shortage of staplers," Darcy replied, with a perfectly straight face. Then he turned around and started heading towards the cashier.

Charlotte's jaw dropped open. "Eliza…"

"Don't even."


	5. Occupational Hazard

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who is reading/following/favouriting/reviewing. Your support is much appreciated!**

 **I would also like to say that I have been compelled to moderate reviews, as it seems that I have attracted a troll, who is rude, condescending, and has nothing nice to say (Lady Catherine, is that you?). I want to ask the troll to try writing a story himself/herself, before going about disaparaging others and putting them down. Just a thought. Or, just follow the accepted rule of staying silent if you have nothing nice to say.**

* * *

After the Darcy-in-the-supermarket incident, Elizabeth had been ready to store the three-hour ride in the most-awkward-three-hours portion of her memory. Instead, she ended up storing it in the Darcy-is-weird-and-infuriating category. Charlotte started off making things difficult for her by bagging the backseat, forcing Elizabeth to sit in the front. For a while, Elizabeth thought she would just sit there, embarrassed half to death, and since Darcy seemed to have no intention of conversing, the arrangement could have succeeded.

Charlotte was the first to torpedo the plan, because she asked Darcy about his job, and whether he worked mostly in labour law or class actions. Elizabeth didn't even know the point of the question – they had both poured over Darcy's profile on the Kleinman Fitzwilliam website after the party to know _exactly_ what he did.

Even Darcy seemed surprised to have Charlotte speak to him. He answered Charlotte's question after a slight pause where he manoeuvred the vehicle to a side, allowing a speeding semi-tractor trailer to pass. Elizabeth cursed the vehicle under he breath, not caring if Darcy heard her.

"Class actions, a vast majority of the time. My foray into labour law is limited to representing a union as an entity when they go up against a corporation, or the government, which doesn't happen nearly as often as you would think."

"Doesn't Charles practice labour law?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes," came the monosyllabic answer.

More in an effort to annoy Darcy than any real interest in the answer, Elizabeth decided to join the conversation. "Why don't you?"

"I find collective agreements, mediation, and arbitration to be tedious processes."

"Hmmm," Elizabeth said. She knew that his parents were precedent-setting lawyers in their heyday, appearing at the Supreme Court more than once before going on to become judges. She was wondering about the appropriateness of any questions about his parents, when Darcy surprised her by speaking to her.

"What does _'hmmm'_ mean?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "It means…haven't you ever used _'hmm'_ in conversation?"

"Not without any meaning attached to it, no."

"Right. Of _course._ " From the corner of her eye, Elizabeth could swear that Charlotte was smirking.

"Did you use it without attaching any meaning to it?" Darcy continued.

"It means…it's a sound I make while thinking."

Elizabeth could swear that now Darcy was smirking. He was _infuriating._ First, she was merely tolerable, and now he probably thought she was some idiot to be laughed at. "I suppose you…"

Charlotte had graduated to grinning. "Eliza, he's just teasing you," she said.

Condescending, arrogant jackass, Elizabeth thought. She scoffed. "Right."

"How was your trial?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You just finished a trial? Assisting Edward Gardiner? The Hague Convention trial?"

Elizabeth wondered if Darcy was enunciating every word because he thought she was slow on the uptake. She contemplated pointing out that he simply surprised her with the abrupt change in topic, but decided to not bother. Elizabeth gave up, and simply answered Darcy's question. That conversation ended up being much longer than Elizabeth anticipated. Charlotte argued with her as to why she thought they had likely lost the trial. Darcy only asked a minimal amount of questions.

At some point, Elizabeth decided that the sound of her own voice had become too much. "Can we play some music? Is that a playlist on the player?"

"No, it's the _'Hitchhiker's Guide' –_ the original '78 BBC radio version." Darcy gave a slight shake of his head. "You can unplug it and play some music. There's satellite radio – whatever station you prefer."

Elizabeth clapped her hands in glee, quite forgetting that she was supposed to be annoyed with Darcy. "Forget music – could we listen to the show? Charlotte, what do you think?"

"Well, I know you love the book, and I haven't ever actually heard the original show. I vote yes."

After a moment of silence, Elizabeth looked at Darcy expectantly. "Darcy?"

He seemed surprised to have his opinion solicited on the matter. "Of course. Please go ahead."

They spent the rest of the ride in companionable silence, listening to the show.

* * *

One unexpected result of being in Darcy's car was that they made it to the cottage before Caroline's car, no doubt partly due to Caroline having to pick up her sister.

It was not a 'cottage' in any manner that Elizabeth or Charlotte understood the word. The place was extremely large, luxurious with all the modern trappings any person would need, and seemed like something out of _Good Housekeeping._ A traditional cottage it was not.

Darcy clearly had his preferred room, and showed both of them the room Charles and Jane would have. That left two more rooms. Darcy told them to have their pick, and Elizabeth and Charlotte shared a look. Whichever room they picked would become the wrong choice after Caroline arrived, and yet, they could not wait for her to pick a room. After some thought, Elizabeth suggested that they take the bigger room. As long as they were going to get blamed, they might as well give Caroline a legitimate reason.

Charles, Jane, Caroline and the hitherto unknown Bingley sister arrived shortly thereafter, with so many bags between them that Elizabeth genuinely wondered how all of it had fit inside one vehicle. As predicted, Caroline was extremely unhappy with the room that was left to her, and took offense when Elizabeth offered to swap. Elizbeth indulged in a short walk around the cottage with Charlotte, mostly to get away from a petulant Caroline. When they came back, Charles and Caroline had gone to the nearby 'town' to pick up the lunch that Charles had pre-ordered. In the living room, Darcy was reading a book, as was Jane. Charles's older sister, who was introduced to them as Louisa, was just striking up a conversation with Jane as they walked in.

"So, Charles tells me you're a dancer? That sounds like a fun gig."

Jane smiled shyly. "Yes, I…it's lovely."

Elizabeth felt incensed. Gig? As if Jane was part of some cabaret troupe performing at the local dinner theatre…

Charlotte was frowning openly. Elizabeth noted that Darcy glanced at Jane from the corner of his eye before focussing back to his book.

"Jane is a ballerina; she was made the first soloist recently."

Louisa raised an eyebrow. "That's not at the level of the main dancer, is it? You wouldn't be the princess in Swan Lake?"

Jane looked down. "No, Princess Odette would go to the principal. I'm happy with –"

Elizabeth cut in, getting increasingly annoyed with the implied condescension. "But she will be the main fairy in _Sleeping Beauty_ , which is premiering in the fall. A first soloist is a lot more than being just one amongst many chorus dancers. _And_ , Jane is the main contender to play Stella in _Streetcar,_ which is going to be the second winter production after _Nutcracker._ Speaking of _Nutcracker,_ Jane was –"

Blushing, Jane cut her off. "Lizzy, stop, I'm sure Louisa doesn't want to hear all the different roles in the upcoming productions."

Louisa smiled sweetly. "I was just asking, that's all. Ballet is not really my thing; it gets quite boring after the first hour or so – I'm sorry, no offence, Jane. I just know _Swan Lake_ and _Romeo and Juliet._ I don't think that even Charles really knows anything about ballet – well, I'm sure he's now learnt _something_ from you."

"I'm sure Charles knows enough about one of the primary forms of dance and music, without needing to be taught about it when he's nearly 30," Darcy stated matter-of-factly, without looking up from his book.

Louisa, seemingly unsure whether Darcy was telling her off, remained silent.

Elizabeth, unsure of whether Darcy was actually implying that Jane had nothing useful to teach Charles, found herself becoming more and more angry. "I think what Charles would have picked up as a member of the general public, and what he could imbibe from a main player in a ballet company would significantly differ." It was not the strongest response, but Elizabeth did not operate at her best when enveloped in a cloud of rage.

Now Darcy looked up. "And how much of that information is either useful or relevant to him, in order to enjoy a performance? Are you going to enjoy 32 fouettés more if you knew the physics behind it, or the hours that went into rehearsals?"

"I would appreciate the dancer more, knowing the sweat and effort that went into a performance."

"That is a wholly different matter. Appreciating an artist is not the same as enjoying a performance. You can watch _Platoon_ or _Casablanca_ and walk away simply enjoying the movies for how sublime they were. Or you can watch a meandering, bland, disorganized history like _Iron Lady_ , not enjoy a whit of it, but appreciate how wondrous Meryl Streep was."

Elizabeth realised that they were now straying from the original topic of discussion, which was her earnest defence of Jane. "My point is simply that Charles would probably learn more first-hand information from Jane, which would allow for him to better appreciate and enjoy a ballet."

Louisa spoke before Darcy did. "Either way, Jane is not the lead. She has…what? A 12 minute solo in a 3 hour performance? I don't think that'll really help Charles _appreciate_ ballet any more than your average Joe."

Nearly apoplectic, Elizabeth was about to unleash the full strength of her fury on Louisa, but Jane interrupted her.

"Louisa is probably right. The part of a first soloist isn't much in the grand scheme of things. Lizzy, will you come and help me? Charles and Caroline will be back any time now with lunch, and we haven't even set the table."

"I'll help," Charlotte piped up, and Elizabeth thought that Charlotte looked sick. As they walked into the kitchen, Charlotte whispered to her " _That_ is why I told you to come."

Elizabeth looked behind her into the living room; Darcy had gone back to his book, and Louisa had gone into her room.

"Lizzy," Jane started, but Charlotte interrupted her, and turned on the faucet.

"Darcy has the ears of a fox."

Jane sighed, and moved further away from the living room, and none of the three turned off the faucet.

"Lizzy, I love you, and I know you just want to stand up for me, but please, just let it go. I'm really uncomfortable talking about my job. I'd much prefer to agree with whatever is being said, and change the topic as soon as possible."

"But Jane –" Elizabeth started.

"Jane, you really should –" Charlotte simultaneously whispered.

"Guys, please. _Please._ Charles is a lawyer. Caroline is a lawyer. Louisa is an orthodontist. Darcy's a lawyer…Lizzy, you're a law student and Charlotte is a HR professional with a university degree. I feel embarrassed to discuss my job. It's like I'm play-acting at being an adult while having fun dancing, while all of you are actual adults doing adult things. I don't want to be doing anything else in life other than ballet, but I'm embarrassed and almost ashamed of it in this crowd."

Charlotte said nothing, but she squeezed Jane's shoulder.

Elizabeth struggled to reach a balance between what her sister was asking of her, and what her innate sense of right and wrong was telling her. "Jane, my dear, wonderful, most favourite sister. You are the finest human being I know, and have _nothing_ to be ashamed of. Not in who you are, or what you do. If you don't want me to say anything, I won't, even though I want to defend you to the ends of the universe. Being a ballerina is not one jot less important than being a lawyer or a doctor. Life would be fairly useless without art to add colour to it, and none of us – "

Elizabeth stopped talking as the front door opened, signalling the return of Charles and Caroline. She made a mental note to have a discussion with Jane once they got back home.

This was going to be a long weekend.


	6. Plebeian Tastes

Lunch was a comfortable affair as far as Elizabeth was concerned, especially when compared to the situation it had followed. Charles engaged Jane in conversation, which was welcome relief to Elizabeth and Charlotte, as well as Jane. Louisa ate quietly, speaking to no one. Caroline and Darcy were playing a supremely interesting game to bystanders, wherein Caroline would throw topics of conversation at Darcy with skill, and with a talent equalling hers, he would parry them away before moving on to silently consuming lunch. Elizabeth wondered when Caroline would strike upon a topic good enough to tempt him. She also took private amusement at the clear disinterest Darcy was showing at Caroline's obvious partiality, thought it was hard to imagine that Caroline could ever be considered merely 'tolerable'.

After lunch, Jane and Charles went off on a walk, while Darcy mumbled something about emails and napping, and retired to his room.

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte. "How does swimming in the lake sound to you?"

"So soon after lunch? That doesn't sound very healthy," said Caroline.

"Luckily, being healthy was never very important to me," Elizabeth said flippantly.

Charlotte sighed in exasperation. "Don't worry Caroline, we'll take special care to not drown."

Both of them fled to the lake as soon as they could. The water was not too warm, but enough to allow them to get into the lake and have fun swimming and splashing about. The afternoon sun gleaming down on them from directly overhead helped warm them up. After some time, they both decided to rest in the water, bobbing near the dock.

"It's going to be hard for Jane," Charlotte said. "How long is she going to put herself down to please those obnoxious women?"

"Just because she puts up with it now, doesn't mean she will do so forever," Elizabeth said, but her words sounded weak even to herself.

"It's Jane. She will always please others, no matter what the cost is to her own self-worth."

"You're being too harsh on Jane. I get that she's too nice, but everyone has their breaking point. Jane _is_ going to reach hers."

Charlotte gave her a look. "She hasn't reached that limit with Mrs. Bennett. Arguably, your mother is worse than Caroline and Louisa combined."

Elizabeth turned on her back and drifted away from the dock for a little, before paddling back. "My mother has the advantage of beig a parent, and Jane isn't with her regularly. It's easier to tolerate a person you know that you're going to see only in another eight weeks."

Charlotte splashed water at her. "Not that it gives _you_ any more patience," she said laughingly.

Elizabeth laughed as well, and splashed water at Charlotte using both hands. "That's below the belt! You know I have no patience at the best of times!" As Charlotte tried to splash her back, Elizabeth swam away a short distance, and then treaded water until Charlotte caught up to her, laughing the whole time. "This is fun! I'm glad the whole weekend isn't an exercise in controlling my temper and defending Jane."

"Well, it certainly won't be the latter, now that Jane asked us not to. Pity we can't stay in the lake the entire weekend."

"You _did_ promise Caroline not to drown," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"It wasn't a promise," Charlotte countered. "She still has time to drive me to a watery grave."

"She could make someone drown themselves in a puddle," Elizabeth said. "For my sake, I ask that you hold off drowning yourself until this weekend is over. Please?"

Charlotte laughed. "Oh Eliza, you are too much!"

They both played around until a boat, presumably from a neighbouring cottage came close enough to be heard by them. The boat contained a family – three children of varying ages and their parents. The youngest child seemed to be about 10, and the eldest was maybe 14. The parents seemed friendly enough, and at the entreaties of the children and the subsequent request of the parents, Elizabeth and Charlotte joined the three children in playing in the water. The children had a ball, and Elizabeth teamed up with the youngest two children, and Charlotte banded with the older one to play a rowdy, noisy game of water volley ball, sans a net.

Elizabeth didn't know how long they played, but the children left only after they extracted from Elizabeth and Charlotte a promise for another game at the same time the following day. The promise was happily given. They both eventually drifted back to the dock, deciding that heading back inside for a nap was beginning to look like a great idea.

"Elizabeth, I think you may have caught someone's attention."

Elizabeth hadn't heard a boat, and she looked about in confusion. "Are they back?"

"No, but Darcy's been on the balcony for some time now, and I daresay that you are the object of his attention."

Elizabeth submerged herself in the water, getting a good view at the back of the cottage as she came up for air. Indeed, Darcy _was_ on one of balconies; he clearly had one of the two rooms overlooking the lake.

She purposefully turned her back to him. "Undoubtedly, he is finding some fault with us being out here. Wasn't he the one yammering about the water being too cold to swim in before we even got here? He probably thinks we're courting pneumonia, and is also judging us for playing with children."

"A simpler explanation could be that he's admiring you."

"Simpler, yes, but factually incorrect. Need I remind you about being thought of as _tolerable_ and _desperate?_ Plus, there's two of us here. If he's admiring anyone, _I_ daresay it's the woman he hasn't insulted."

"I think it more likely that a man admires a woman he has taken effort to converse with and also tease, as opposed to the one he hasn't done any of that with."

"Pffft, Charlotte, maybe the water _is_ too cold, because it's clearly affecting your thinking. Darcy doesn't interact with me for any other purpose other than to argue and criticize. I think he'll admire a woman who is more than merely tolerable, and definitely not desperate. More than likely, he probably just got bored of emailing or napping or whatever and came out onto the balcony."

Charlotte conceded the latter point, and they both decided to head back inside.

* * *

When Elizabeth woke up it was still light outside, but it was the evening light of late spring, so good at confusing people as to what the time of day was. Much as she wanted to stay hidden inside her room, decorum suggested to her that it would be more appropriate to go and join everyone else. Charlotte clearly had done so, as her bed was made and Elizabeth was alone in their room. Elizabeth washed her face and freshened up, and then picked up a book to read before venturing out of the room. She was greeted to a rather loud conversation in the rec area, with multiple people speaking at the same time.

"Lizzy! There you are!" Jane exclaimed.

Hardly anyone else took notice of Elizabeth's entrance. She noticed that everyone was evidently trying to watch a movie; however, someone must have pressed the wrong button on the remote control, because television was displaying a menu entirely in Japanese.

"Caroline, I _would_ press 'reset', if I knew _how_ to," a clearly exasperated Charles stated. "I can't read the menu any better than you. We're just going to have to find a different activity."

"But I want to watch a movie!" Caroline whined.

"Then you should have let me set it up, instead of doing whatever it is that you did."

Elizabeth had never seen Charles angry; she was enjoying this display of annoyance with Caroline and hoped to see it escalate.

"Charles, where's the manual? Movie or no movie, you can't leave it like this. It's not going to switch back to English on its own," Darcy stated.

Charlotte looked directly at her, and Elizabeth willed her to stay silent. She was not so lucky with Jane.

"Now that Lizzy's awake, she can fix this," Jane said triumphantly.

Charles frowned. "Elizabeth knows where the manual is?"

Jane giggled. "Charles, of course not. But she can read Japanese. She can just set everything back to English."

" _You_ can read Japanese?" Caroline asked, incredulous and disbelieving.

"Not very well, but I can manage to set the language back to English," Elizabeth said, taking the remote control from Charles.

"Elizabeth, I never knew you were multilingual," Charles said smilingly. "You're our hero!"

Elizabeth laughed, happy in Jane's choice of men, even if his sisters left something to be desired.

"Lizzy spent a year in Japan as an exchange student when she was in school," Jane said, pride evident in her voice. Clearly, she was happy to show-off Elizabeth, even if she was embarrassed by her own career choice. Elizabeth felt a surge of love for her sister.

Caroline pursed her lips and stayed silent, while Elizabeth set everything back to English in a few quick steps.

"There's so much we still don't know about you," Charles stated.

"You just found out what is possibly the most interesting thing about me," Elizabeth said.

"Well, you know Japanese, you sing, and I'm sure there's more. Speaking of singing, we should all go for karaoke when we're back in the city."

Caroline rolled her eyes. " _Karaoke?_ Charles, that's downright plebeian. Please count me out, and Louisa as well," she added, while Louisa nodded furiously. "Who even goes for karaoke? Darcy, I'm sure you'd rather stab your eardrums than go for karaoke."

Charles burst out laughing. "Caroline, you got lucky with Louisa, but Darcy was a step too far. I _know_ Darcy can be convinced to indulge in karaoke."

Darcy sighed. "Please be so kind as to leave me out of this sibling disagreement."

"See? Darcy _doesn't_ like karaoke," Caroline said triumphantly.

Elizabeth couldn't stop herself. "Actually, Darcy didn't say anything about karaoke either way. He just wanted the two of you to stop arguing. Whether he dislikes karaoke remains the million-dollar question."

Charles grinned. "Elizabeth, you are right, Darcy absolutely did not say that he didn't like karaoke. How could he _possibly_ say that, when he's gone out for karaoke numerous times with me, and we all know that Darcy won't do a damn thing he actually doesn't want to?"

Caroline had turned red, and she stared at Charles. "Charles, stop fooling around."

"I'm not."

"Darcy, I believe that some words from you seem to be required to put an end to the sibling disagreement. Perhaps you can say that karaoke, though _plebeian,_ is _tolerable_ enough for you to indulge in," Elizabeth said impishly.

Darcy sighed, again. "If karaoke is plebeian, then I am guilty as charged. Georgiana, my sister, dearly loves karaoke and Charles and I have humoured her on more than one occasion. I wouldn't say that I dislike the experience, but am glad to have it not be a regular activity."

Elizabeth didn't know what to think; Darcy was seemingly a good brother and more normal in his taste than she had ever given him credit for, but she couldn't help feeling the effect of his pride. She was offended at the use of the word 'plebeian', but wasn't sure how to argue the point. To say that being called plebeian was rude was to admit to there being some deficiency in being lower class. To not say anything seemed to concede to Caroline's implication that aything plebeian was undesirable. Though Elizabeth was unsure of what the correct response should be, she decided that Darcy's response was the wrong one.

"A lot of things that we enjoy doing would stop being enjoyable, if we did it often enough," Charlotte mused.

 _I win,_ Charles mouthed to Caroline.

"Oh, darling Georgiana. I do wish she was here," Caroline stated, leaving the argument with Charles behind her. "Young as she is, she has a way of elevating the atmosphere and company."

Charlotte looked at Elizabeth in resignation at the implied insult.

"I could never elevate company _I'm_ in," Elizabeth said gaily, "so I try to make myself useful by serving as a terrible example to everyone."

Charles laughed. Caroline rolled her eyes. Louisa looked horrified. Darcy looked at her intently.

"Can we _please_ start the movie? We've wasted enough time," Caroline complained, putting an end to the conversation.

Elizabeth exchanged a look with Charlotte. Apparently, irony was lost on Caroline.

It turned out that the movie Caroline had been so eager to watch was a superhero movie. It was all Elizabeth could do to not groan out loud. Her sisters Lydia and Katherine had dragged them to see the movie the previous summer, and Elizabeth distinctly recalled having wanted to gouge her eyes out and set them on fire at the time. She was fairly certain that her reaction this time round would be much the same.

Elizabeth waited until the movie started, and then quietly picked up her book. From the corner of her eye, she noted that Louisa, Caroline, and Charlotte were engrossed by the movie. Charles and Jane were also watching the movie, but they spoke to each other almost as often as they watched the movie. Darcy was seated in a chair opposite to them, also with a book in hand.

While everyone was thus employed, Elizabeth could not help observing, as she shifted her position in the armchair, how frequently Darcy's eyes were fixed on her. She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to him; and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her, was still more strange. She could only imagine at last that she drew his notice because there was something more wrong and intolerable in her, according to his taste, as opposed to everyone else in the room. The supposition did not pain her. She liked him too little to care for his approbation.

After some time, Darcy went into the kitchen, and returned, instead of to his own chair, to that of Elizabeth's. She saw that he had a glass of something in his hand – she had no idea what the liquid was.

"You don't seem to be enjoying the movie. I could bring the player from the car – the one with _Hitchhiker's Guide_ on it."

She smiled, but made no answer. Elizabeth could not help but wonder at why he would make such an offer. Darcy began to repeat himself, evidently surprised at her silence.

"Oh!" she said, "I heard you before, but I could not immediately figure out how to answer. If I say 'yes', everyone here may think me rude in breaking away from the group. If I say 'no', then you will have the pleasure of despising my rudeness for refusing your generous offer. I've decided to say 'no', and indulge your premeditated contempt. You can now despise me at leisure."

"Indeed, I shall not indulge in any such thing," Darcy replied, before he walked away.

Elizabeth, having rather expected to offend him, was amazed. She was further amazed at his gallantry when he returned to her side some six or seven minutes later, with his music player and a set of headphones in hand.

"Here it is, just in case you change your mind. In any case, perhaps you might want to listen to the rest of it some time this weekend."


	7. Independent in Thought

**Chapter 7: Independent in Thought & Down-to-Earth Pragmatism**

* * *

Elizabeth had asked Charlotte to join her for an early morning walk; they were the only two who had ventured out of their room that early in the day. Charlotte refused however, stating that she was saving her energy to crush Elizabeth in water volleyball later in the day, though Elizabeth suggested that Charlotte's refusal had more to do with laziness than anything else. Leaving Charlotte to her own devices, Elizabeth wandered off on her own.

Elizabeth was beginning to share some of Charlotte's concerns about Jane. Caroline was bad enough, but Louisa was arguably worse than Caroline. Despite what she had told Charlotte the previous evening, Elizabeth seriously wondered if Jane would ever stand up to either woman. And without Jane saying something, how would Charles even know that there was a situation that required his intervention?

She didn't even know if it was a good idea to talk to Jane about it. She didn't want Jane to worry, and uncertain about her own abilities to convince Jane to stand up for herself, Elizabeth was not sure what benefit there would be speaking about the issue.

"Good morning."

"Oh…hello. Good morning," Elizabeth replied, rather surprised to run into Darcy. If she didn't want to be seen as abominably rude, Elizabeth supposed that she had no choice but to walk with him.

They walked in silence for some time, until Elizabeth thought that it may be more punishment to make Darcy speak, as opposed to staying silent.

"Do you come to Netherfield often?"

"Not very often, no."

"But Charles must come often; the place doesn't have that unused feel to it."

"Since Charles's parents went to Australia, I think he's started coming here more often. If I'm not mistaken, they left about a year ago."

"They're both botanists, right? In Australia for a 3-year quantitative ecology study?"

Darcy replied in the affirmative, and then changed the subject. "Do you enjoy working for Edward Gardiner? I understand that he can be very difficult."

Elizabeth grimaced, easily imagining who his source was for that snippet of information. "Edward is old and set in his ways, and he can be a little crotchety at time. And he's a very hard taskmaster, which some may call difficult. But he's brilliant, and built that firm all on his own. I learn more from him in a day than from a year in law school. And he has a good heart, and is incredibly kind. He's a perfectionist when it comes to work, and has limited patience. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing."

"You've given him a glowing reference," Darcy said. "I assume you will join Gardiner Stewart once you graduate."

Elizabeth shrugged. She knew that Edward was thinking of retirement, and she had no desire to tie herself to a firm after graduation only to have the best thing about the place leave soon after. Besides that, she was not sure that it was the kind of law she wanted to. Elizabeth wasn't going to share any of that with Darcy, so she settled upon a noncommittal answer. "We'll see…who knows what things will look like by the time I graduate?"

"Are you afraid you'll have to share a stapler?"

Elizabeth blushed furiously. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

Darcy merely smiled, and Elizabeth had her answer. The answer was _never_. Elizabeth opted to make a light comment that was closer to the truth than her tone implied. "I dearly love a laugh, and it's always amusing to laugh at others, but not so much fun laughing at oneself." Especially when you've already been thought of as being just tolerable and desperate, she thought privately.

"I was not laughing at you," he said. "I was attempting to tee- make a joke. I think it's somewhat dangerous to laugh at others; the wisest and the best of men - rather, the wisest and best of their actions - may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."

"Certainly," replied Elizabeth, "there are such people, but I presume you are not one of them. I hope _I_ am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise and good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, _do_ divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. I suppose you have no such qualities, so that I may make a joke at your expense."

"I've tried to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."

"Such as vanity and pride."

"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride - where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."

Elizabeth laughed, amused but unsurprised that Darcy did not consider pride to be a weakness. "So you have no weaknesses then!"

"No," said Darcy, "I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding - certainly too little for the convenience of everyone else. I cannot forget foolishness, idiocies, or vices of others as soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."

" _That_ is a failing indeed!" noted Elizabeth. "Implacable resentment _is_ a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot make a joke of it. You are safe from me."

"There is, I believe, in every personality a tendency to some particular evil—a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."

"And _your_ defect is to hate everybody."

"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."

"I do not want people to be very agreeable, because it saves me the trouble of liking them," Elizabeth retorted archly. "Luckily, I don't find most people to be agreeable, and thus am not often required to misunderstand them."

Darcy looked at Elizabeth with interest, but she couldn't quite interpret the look in his eyes. "Jane said last night that you spent a year in Japan as an exchange student…that wasn't the only time you were away from your parents, was it?"

Elizabeth was surprised - surprised and confused. She couldn't for the life of her imagine what Darcy was thinking, or how he had managed to be so accurate with hardly any facts. "My parents divorced when I was about ten…my mother moved away soon after that. So…I suppose that counts as being away from a parent, if not both. Why'd you ask?"

"My parents passed away when I was in my teens and…you seem very independent in thought and have this down-to-earth pragmatism, that's all."

Elizabeth, for once, was at a loss for words. It was clear to her that Darcy didn't actually tell her his real thoughts, but what he did share was in itself so unexpected that she struggled to process it. Understanding that she had to say _something_ , Elizabeth went for the low hanging fruit. "I'm sorry about your parents. It must have been…I can't begin to imagine. I'm sorry that you lost them when you were so young."

Darcy shrugged. "It's the cycle of life. At least I had my sister."

"She must have been quite young."

"Georgiana doesn't remember our parents; she wasn't even ten. I think..."

Elizabeth looked at Darcy quizzically when he paused. "You think…?"

"Do you want to head back? I think someone should be up by now, hopefully with some idea about breakfast."

Thus they headed back, and only made small talk about flora and fauna. Elizabeth was finding it hard to process their conversation; they had moved from topic to topic, and parts of the conversation seemed intense and private, especially for two people who barely knew each other, and disliked what little they did know.

When they got back to the cottage, the look of relief on Charlotte's face when Elizabeth walked in was apparent. Elizabeth was sorry to have left Charlotte alone to deal with Caroline _and_ Louisa.

"Darcy! If you waited a bit, I would have joined you," Caroline cooed. Darcy made no reply. "Where'd you go?" she asked.

"For a walk," Darcy said blandly.

Elizabeth tried her best to hide a smile, and turned to Charlotte. "Where's Jane?"

"She's making pancakes for breakfast. Charles said he'd help her, though I think he's mostly just entertaining her," Charlotte replied, scooting over on the sofa to make room for Elizabeth.

"Jane's so domesticated, isn't it sweet?" Caroline said to Louisa, who giggled in response.

"Domesticated as in a cat, or domesticated as in a dog?" Elizabeth asked, without missing a beat.

A machete couldn't have cut through the tension. Elizabeth didn't care. If these insufferable women didn't like Jane, they should at least have the guts to say so in front of Charles. But she'd be damned if she was expected to sit by silently while they put down her sister.

"Oh, Caroline didn't mean – " Louisa started.

"Of _course_ she didn't," Elizabeth said.

Darcy spoke at the same time as Elizabeth, and managed to silence everyone. "Why don't we all just stick to speaking about people who are currently present?"

Caroline had the courtesy to look properly chastised, and Elizabeth mused to herself that if she remained in Darcy's presence for the rest of the trip, there would be a good chance that Caroline and Louisa would refrain from speaking about Jane. Caroline and Louisa settled down to yammer on about some store that Elizabeth had never heard of.

"Eliza, look at this," Charlotte said, pointing to the magazine she had been looking at. Elizabeth looked at the model, wrapped around in some fabric, preposterously labelled as an item of clothing. "Look at how blue her eyes are – do you think they're real?"

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Oh Charlotte, just look at her! Which part of her looks _real_ to you?"

Charlotte looked at Elizabeth for a nanosecond before she understood Elizabeth's meaning and also laughed. "And her eyes are coloured contacts – why didn't I think of that?"

Elizabeth's heart almost stopped beating, as she felt Darcy peer over her shoulder to have a look at the magazine. She could feel his breath on her shoulder, and had no idea why she felt almost giddy. She dared not turn her head, and stayed stock still.

"Where are her arms? Why doesn't she have any arms?" Darcy asked curiously, and Elizabeth could hear the frown in his voice, even though she refused to look at him.

Charlotte giggled. "It's the jacket, Darcy. I don't think it has any sleeves. Or arm holes. Or…"

"So it's a strait-jacket with flowers? How did she get into it?"

Darcy had finally moved back, and Elizabeth finally found her voice. "Impractical fashion carries with it the implication that one is wealthy enough to outsource all practical labor. This…this 'jacket' tells the public that the wearer doesn't have to perform any of the daily manual tasks the rest of us do; she will never reach for anything on a table, stoop to pick anything off the ground, hold open any doors, hail a cab, pour a glass of water, need her hands to fix her hair, or even dress herself. She's like a princess stepping out of a jasmine-scented tub, to have a dozen handmaidens wait on her every whim and fancy."

Charlotte laughed again.

"Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Known Universe," Darcy said, looking directly at her and actually _grinning_.

Elizabeth couldn't help herself. "For the seventh time!"

Neither Bingley sisters said anything. Elizabeth could feel Caroline's eyes burning a hole into her.

* * *

Breakfast was ready soon after, and everyone ate with many compliments to Jane. After that, Elizabeth and Charlotte argued long enough about who was the better Scrabble player for a challenge to be issued. They invited Jane and Charles to make up numbers, and Darcy's unhappiness at being left to fend off Caroline was apparent to at least Elizabeth. However, she didn't care. Darcy made her uncomfortable, and she preferred her own comfort. However, it wasn't long before Charles was begging Darcy to come and help him, over the objections of the other players. While Darcy didn't help, he seated himself between Charles and Elizabeth to silently observe the game. Charlotte beat them all soundly, and then Darcy and Charles switched places while Elizabeth and Charlotte decided to head to a best-of-three. Charlotte won the second game with some difficulty, and finally, Elizabeth managed to win the last game.

At that point Louisa demanded that everyone head to the lake, stating that she was bored. Elizabeth didn't say anything, and went into her room, ostensibly to change into her swimsuit and join everyone at the lake.

"You're not going to the lake, are you?" Charlotte asked, following her inside.

Elizabeth shook her head. "We're playing with those kids in the afternoon. I'm not going to spend the whole day by the water."

"Uh-huh."

"You don't have to stay here with me."

Charlotte shrugged. "I prefer here to there. I'll text Jane and tell her we're going to laze around inside for a while. Shall I tell her that we can make lunch? I think I need to prove my domesticated abilities."

"Hilarious," Elizabeth said, grinning. "Sure, let's make lunch, and we can look for some rat poison while we're at it."

Charlotte started texting Jane, and didn't look up as she spoke. "So…what happened with Darcy?"

"What? Nothing. Why? Why would something have happened? Why would you ask that?"

Charlotte looked up, eyebrow raised. "Yeah... _that_ sounds like nothing happened."

Elizabeth sighed. Charlotte was much smarter than anyone ever gave her credit for. So she told Charlotte about their weirdly intense conversation, her difficulty processing it, and how Darcy made her feel uncomfortable. She refrained from mentioning the heart attack that she had almost had.

"Independent in thought and down-to-earth pragmatism. What does _that_ mean? Is it some kind of insult? To go hand-in-hand with tolerable and desperate? Ugh. Why can't he just insult me to my face in language I can understand?"

"Eliza. _Elizabeth_. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that a guy doesn't talk about the death of his parents – no matter how briefly – with a person that he's trying to insult."

"I suppose you have a better explanation," Elizabeth groused, knowing full well that Charlotte was almost never short of a theory.

"Of _course_ I do," Charlotte said. "You were being witty and self-deprecating, and you responded to him with arguments. He recognised these to be signs of a defensive mechanism, and naturally assumed that you had some kind of loss in your childhood to require you to put up walls and protect yourself from hurt."

"Charlotte!"

"Eliza, I know what your childhood was. Jane was your mother's favourite, she made no bones about her disappointment with you, and when it was time to leave, she shocked everyone by taking Katherine and Lydia with her instead of Jane. And then your father was partial to you instead of Jane, which made you feel guilty, because you think Jane is the one who deserved all the love and affection, for having been the perfect daughter to both parents. To put it in very simplistic terms, Jane tries to please everyone because she's never been good enough for either of her parents when it counted the most, and that rejection has stayed with her all her life. And you protect yourself from rejection by holding everyone at arms length, but feel guilty when someone _does_ pay attention to you, because you feel you can't deserve good things until Jane has them first."

Elizabeth stared at Charlotte. It _was_ simplistic. But her friend had a way of distilling complicated truths to their essentials, and Elizabeth knew and felt that this was one of those instances. Truth be told, Elizabeth knew Charlotte to be right. Both she and Jane had deep-seated anxieties that manifested itself in exactly the manner that Charlotte had described. "You know us so well."

"A luxury of always being overlooked is that it gives me much time for reflection. You and Jane have been my dearest friends, and through both of you, I have lived more and gotten to experience more in life than I ever would have on my own. This weekend is a prime example. I just want both of you to be happy, for my own selfish gains."

Elizabeth jumped up and hugged Charlotte. "I want you to be happy, and I _know_ that you will find it independent of Jane and me. Because you are an incredible person, and you deserve joy and beauty in your own life."

Neither of them were given to dwelling on sad things, so they decided to take advantage of Darcy's generosity, and listened to more of _Hitchhiker's Guide,_ before leisurely making lunch for all. After the meal, Elizabeth and Charlotte went to the lake for their water volleyball appointment. This time, Jane and Charles joined them; Darcy mumbled something and disappeared into his room. The Bingley sisters cose to tan themselves on the deck. The evening passed much like the previous one, except that Darcy suggested to Charlotte that they play Scrabble instead of watching a movie. Charlotte would not play without Elizabeth, and Caroline invited herself to the game. Jane, Charles, and Louisa opted to watch another movie.

Sunday morning came, and Elizabeth dragged Charlotte to go walking with her. When they came back, Jane, Charles, and Louisa had gone into town to pick up some breakfast. Darcy and Caroline were in the living room; Caroline looked upset and Darcy looked irritated. Elizabeth was at a loss to understand what could have happened, and did not share a relationship with either of them of such a nature that would allow her to find out. At last, she surmised that Darcy must have said something rude in an attempt to let down Caroline. Elizabeth knew well enough how it felt to be merely tolerable, and had an abundance of empathy on that count, but the recipient being Caroline, her generosity in spirit was lacking.

After lunch, they all drove back to the city in the same groupings that they arrived in. This time, they started listening to the rest of _Hitchhiker's Guide_ from the outset of the journey, and then argued loudly about whether Marvin or Eeyore was the most depressed character in all of literature.

Elizabeth voted for Eeyore because Marvin had a touch of charming about him, but according to Darcy, it had to be Marvin, as Marvin was subjected Eddie, the most annoying computer in all of science fiction, including science fiction not yet written or filmed.

Charlotte demurred from breaking the tie, and only noted that the two of them were too invested in a book for it to be called healthy.


	8. Enter Wickham, Stage Left

Chapter 8: Enter Wickham, Stage Left

* * *

"Just the person I was looking for," Edward Gardiner said, as he pulled up a chair. Elizabeth and Charlotte smiled, making some room for him. They had each just about finished having lunch. Instead of getting down to discussing work however, Edward sat with them, speaking about their lives in general, and the long weekend that had just passed.

"We spent the weekend at a cottage in Netherfield with Eliza's sister, her boyfriend who is Caroline's brother, their older sister, Caroline herself, and one of their friends."

"Well…that's an interesting group. I hope the two of you had fun. Young people should be out and about, enjoying life."

Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged silent smiles.

"Edward, I have some news that I think you may find interesting," Elizabeth said.

Edward gave Elizabeth a knowing look. "Eliza, I believe your gentleman caller is one step ahead of you; he spoke to me yesterday."

"My _who?_ " Elizabeth spluttered.

" _Gentleman caller?_ " Charlotte squeaked.

Edward looked at them both, grinning. "Surely you've read enough of literature to be familiar with the expression?"

Charlotte sighed in exasperation, while Elizabeth rolled her eyes and spoke. "Yes, yes, Charlotte reads out to me in the evenings while I tend to my glass figurines. The point was that I don't _have_ any 'gentlemen callers', for any to have called you." Charlotte looked a bit shocked at Elizabeth's back-talk with Edward. Elizabeth knew that Edward didn't mind though; he treated her as an equal, and was pleased that she wasn't scared of him the way others at the office were.

"Are you sure? Maybe you'd want to look over your most recent activities…are you _sure_ haven't caught somebody's notice?" Edward asked, now smiling broadly.

Charlotte smirked. "Can I answer that question?"

"This teasing is tiresome," Elizabeth declared, and then paused. "George called you?"

"George?" Charlotte and Edward asked in unison.

"Eliza, you're seeing someone called George? And you didn't tell me?"

"Charlotte, I'm not seeing anyone!" Elizabeth realised that she had to start at the beginning, even though the mysterious caller clearly wasn't George. "I sent out the press release on the class action after the Statement of Claim was filed, just as instructed. The only response I got was from this reporter – George Wickham. Said he was a free-lancer and interested in the case. _Hyper_ friendly and enthusiastic. He wants to meet you," Elizabeth finished, looking at Edward.

"Aaah. Well, you can set-up a meeting with him later this week. Maybe Friday. Or next Monday. By Charlotte's expression, I feel that she may already know who called me."

Charlotte smiled. "I don't know who called you, Edward, but I have some notion as to a gentleman whose notice Elizabeth may have captured."

"For the record, she's wrong," Elizabeth said, knowing what Charlotte was thinking. " _So_ wrong."

"Well. I got a call from Darcy Fitzwilliam."

Charlotte clapped her hands in glee "I _knew_ it! I _knew_ it was him! I _knew_ it!"

Elizabeth stared at Edward in surprise. She could not think of a single reason as to why Darcy would be calling Edward. "Darcy? _Darcy_ called you? What on earth for?"

"Do you want to guess?"

This time, it was Elizabeth who sighed in exasperation. "I think we've had enough guessing for one afternoon, no? And to make something clear, Darcy is not my gentleman caller, or anything of the sort. We barely like each other. _For the record,_ he is intimate friends with Caroline and her brother, so the romantic connection you're looking for is with Caroline, not me."

"Hmpf," Edward grunted. "He called about the Morley case."

"He's opposing counsel!?" Elizabeth spluttered. "When he said he –"

"Eliza, you must restrain your imagination," Edward said. "Darcy said that he heard I was working on a class action against Morley, and wanted to discuss it. He offered his input."

"Of _course_ he did. Why is he so arrogant?" Elizabeth asked in annoyance. "You're his senior by decades and decades. You're a certified specialist! What 'input' could you possibly need from Darcy?"

Edward patted Elizabeth's shoulder. "I'm flattered by your loyalty, Elizabeth, but perhaps some perspective would temper your view. Remember, I may be his senior by multiple decades, and I may be a certified specialist, but that's in family law. I can run circles around Darcy if we're arguing international abductions, or divorce or custody, or child welfare, or general trial advocacy. But we're not talking family law when it comes to Morley. Class actions are _his_ bailiwick."

Elizabeth's shoulders notably slumped. It wasn't always easy to accept the wiser counsel of others.

"I'm taking on Morley because of what I saw first-hand. Because no one else had done anything. But I know my limitations. I can use all the help I can get…" and here Edward paused, before winking slyly at Charlotte, "…even if such help is being offered for ulterior motives."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I have no idea as to why Darcy's decided to be so generous with his time or opinion or know-how, but please don't look to me as the source of his ulterior motives. Darcy finds me barely tolerable – no no no, it's true, Charlotte heard him say _precisely_ that. And, like I said earlier, he is the friend of Caroline and her brother, not me."

"Then I wonder as to why he sought the introduction through his connection with you, and not her."

Elizabeth had no good answer to that, and admitted so. It was ridiculous to even consider that Darcy was interested in her, despite all the imaginings of Charlotte. At last, Elizabeth concluded that Darcy probably had a genuine interest in the court case, and that he was also likely trying to avoid advancing a pairing with Caroline as sought by that lady. That Darcy had no interest in Caroline was made obvious when they had all spent the weekend together. It made sense, therefore, to assume that Darcy would look to go through the person who was most unlikely to assume an ulterior motive such as herself.

Elizabeth shared her thoughts with Charlotte after Edward left. Curiously, Charlotte refrained from voicing her opinion on the matter.

"So…who's this George?"

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte in confusion. "I told you. He's a reporter interested in the case."

"Have you met him? You came up with his name as someone who'd be interested in you."

Elizabeth smiled woefully. "Charlotte, it's been a spectacularly long time since _anyone_ was interested in me. George was the first man in recent memory who seemed to be taken with me, that's all."

"But he knows nothing about you. Except..."

"Except what?" Elizabeth asked, as Charlotte paused.

Charlotte shrugged. "Nothing. Give me some time to formulate my opinion, and then you can hear all about it."

Elizabeth did not press the point further. Charlotte clearly had her own reasons for remaining silent, and Elizabeth trusted her friend well enough to know that when Charlotte thought it appropriate, she would voice her thoughts. Soon after, Caroline walked in to get herself some water, and Elizabeth and Charlotte dispersed accordingly, but not before receiving numerous comments and instructions from that lady on what to do with the rest of their day, both inside and outside the office.

* * *

Elizabeth had one eye on her watch as she was winding up for the day. It was just past 5:00 p.m., and she was determined to make it to the pool to get her laps in during the short window in the evening when the pool was open for users like herself.

Her office line started ringing. Hoping that it wasn't an after-hours emergency, Elizabeth answered the call.

"Elizabeth?" Edward asked.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" she sang.

"I'm here with Darcy, and you're on speakerphone."

Elizabeth nearly fell off her chair. Would she _ever_ stop embarrassing herself in front of that man, she wondered in resignation. "Right then. How can I assist?"

"Could you make it a copy of the Statement of Claim and the certification motion material? I know you had made me a set earlier, but I can't find it."

"Is the copy for Darcy?"

"Yes," two voices chorused, and Elizabeth heard a note of warning in Edward's voice that Charlotte and Jane often used. Elizabeth was amused at how everyone regularly assumed that she'd commit some faux pas.

"Darcy, wouldn't you prefer the material on a USB?" she asked, imagining the relief washing over Edward.

"Yes, that would certainly be more convenient," he replied.

"I'll get right on that then."

Elizabeth walked into Edward's office, found it empty, and the boardroom was likewise empty. Edward Gardiner had a habit of working out of the basement of the building, which gave him the freedom of expanded space, and not having to clean up the clutter each time an outsider came for a meeting. This wasn't a popular arrangement with anyone else in the firm, and Elizabeth wasn't sure that she'd work in the same manner when she was a lawyer, but understood the advantages that it posed for Edward.

Elizabeth figured that Edward must have taken Darcy into the basement, either to show him some work-in-progress, a book, or some such. She stopped at the door, which was wide open. Edward and Darcy were speaking, and curious, Elizabeth listened.

"But you weren't always at Kleinman? Didn't you start at Filiatrault?"

Elizabeth knew of Filiatrault by reputation; it was one of the biggest and most diverse law firms in the country.

"I did my articles there, but left soon after."

"Figured you had learnt all you could there?" Edward asked, not without some trace of amusement in his voice.

Elizabeth thought she heard a smile in Darcy's voice as he replied to her boss. "Hardly. Do you remember the payday loan class action? On the interest rate issue?"

Elizabeth actually was not familiar with the case Darcy was referring to, but she had had many discussions with Jane and Charlotte about payday loans in general. There was a time after the divorce that her mother had used payday loans much like a credit card, and it had taken repeated interventions by her father, Jane, and other assorted relatives to wean her mother off of that vicious cycle.

Distracted by her thoughts, Elizabeth had missed Edward's reply. Darcy was speaking again.

"We were – rather, Filiatrault's were - representing _Cash Cash Cash_ , and as a student, I worked on the research for the Supreme Court appeal. Trying to argue that it was okay to charge loan rates that were higher than the criminal usury rate because payday loans were weekly and thus the figures could no be taken in an annual context was the most…" Darcy paused.

"Soul crushing?" Edward offered.

Elizabeth couldn't see the exchange between Darcy and Edward which was obviously nonverbal, as Darcy made no attempt to finish his sentence when he started speaking again.

"After that factum, I decided that was the last time I would do work like that. At Kleinman Fitzwilliam, I have the ability to direct my own work."

Elizabeth was surprised by what she heard, and wanted some time to reflect on it. She did, however, realise immediately that she couldn't really hold it against Darcy for having the advantage of a family firm to fall back on. She also realised that she couldn't dawdle at the door eavesdropping, and accordingly, walked in to deliver the USB. Not wishing to give Edward anything to grill her about the next day, Elizabeth was in and out of the basement in record time. She went upstairs, finished up her work quickly, checked her emails one last time, and thereafter shut down her computer, finally ready to leave.

Elizabeth came downstairs just in time to find Darcy in the reception, and Caroline walking in a few steps ahead of her. Elizabeth decided to be polite.

"Finished your meeting?"

Darcy hesitated before replying, and Elizabeth realised belatedly the opportunity that she had created, as Caroline smoothly stepped in.

"Darcy, I'm _so_ glad I ran into you here! My car's in the shop; can you give me a ride home?" Caroline glanced at Elizabeth's sports bag. "I didn't know that there was a community pool nearby...well, enjoy your swim. Darcy, did you park at the back?"

"I can't give you a ride, Caroline," he said. "I'm actually going swimming with Elizabeth."


	9. One Looked White, The Other Red

**Chapter 9: One Looked White, The Other Red**

* * *

Elizabeth managed to make it as far as the parking lot without uttering a word. And then she rounded on Darcy. "Are you _crazy?"_

Darcy, for his part, was unperturbed. "Where do you go swimming? I can drive, but I'll have to stop by Ivy to pick up my gear."

"I…" Elizabeth stared at Darcy, at a loss to know where to begin. She wondered for a moment who or what Ivy was, until she recollected that _The Ivy_ was an exclusive, private members club. That Darcy was serious about swimming was ridiculous. "Are. You. Crazy."

"Not particularly, no. Shall we?"

Elizabeth stared blankly. They had somehow made it to Darcy's car, and now he was holding the door open for her.

"Darcy, you _do_ know that there's better – and more effective – ways of telling a woman that you're not interested?"

"I'm curious. In all the time that you have known her, have you _ever_ managed to effectively get Caroline to do understand something that she didn't want to do?" Darcy smiled at Elizabeth knowingly.

"Get a new plan, Stan," she groused.

Darcy frowned. "Caroline and I have never been together in any sense of that word, and certainly not lovers That song is entirely inappropriate."

"Well, whatever. You don't have to take me to the pool just to prove something to a person who isn't even here. Besides, it's a _community_ pool." Elizabeth looked at her watch, and realised that with all this drama, she would never make it to the pool on time.

"I want to take you to the pool. I said I would. I also think going swimming today is a good idea. If you would get inside, we can be on our way. Give me your bag, I'll put it in the back."

Elizabeth sighed in exasperation. She couldn't believe the perverseness that compelled Darcy to stick to his word. "It doesn't matter. Lane swim starts in fifteen minutes, and it's only for an hour. We'll never make it there now, in this traffic."

Darcy looked at her, smiled, and before she knew it, had taken the gym bag out of her hand and proceeded to put it in the back.

"Darcy…?"

"There _is_ more than one pool in the city that will accommodate us."

* * *

And that's how Elizabeth found herself at _The Ivy_ , a rich person's version of _Cheers,_ a club where everyone knew your name - mostly because you had paid thousands of dollars to make sure that they did. The whole situation was ridiculous.

Elizabeth realised for the first time that Darcy wasn't just rich _. Regular_ rich people just got memberships in regular, if expensive, gyms. _Ultra_ rich people belonged to clubs where prospective members needed a recommendation from an existing member before even being considered for membership. Between the entrance and the women's changing rooms, Elizabeth had made a mental note that _The Ivy_ had a 50,000-bottle wine cellar, two dining rooms, 'business facilities' which Elizabeth took to mean boardrooms and meeting rooms at a minimum, as well as guest suites and the sports club.

Elizabeth wondered if Caroline had ever been here.

Elizabeth wondered what Caroline would do if she found out that Darcy had brought _Elizabeth_ here.

The fallout from _that_ would undoubtedly be far-reaching and long-lasting.

Which brought Elizabeth to the inexplicability of all of this. She did not have to think hard as to why Darcy told Caroline what he did; in his shoes, she might have done the same. _Anything_ to get away from Caroline. But what on earth was the necessity in actually following through? Darcy could have dropped her off at her community pool, and then gone off on his merry way. When told that there was no time to make it there, he could have opted just to drop her at home. Or to the closest subway stop. _Or_ , after making sure that Caroline left, Darcy could have just split; Elizabeth would have kept up pretences with Caroline.

Instead, here they were.

Not understanding in the slightest what was going on, Elizabeth decided that the best strategy was to hide in the water and avoid Darcy as far as humanly possible – after all, this whole situation was as awkward as hell. There was no doubt that Darcy would have made it into the pool before her, but he wasn't omnipresent, and any pool had more than one side. Elizabeth had no doubt of her ability to avoid him.

Elizabeth tried her best to not be taken in by the surroundings. In her life, she had rarely had occasion to mix in places meant for people from social strata several levels above her. That meant that she also rarely had the opportunity to b at places like _The Ivy_. While not gaudy, the wealth, the privilege, the class, and the opulence was apparent. What kind of compliment was it to her, Elizabeth thought, that Darcy would bring her to a place like this as his guest? It certainly could not be doing Darcy any favours to be seen hanging around mere hoi polloi like her.

But why, Elizabeth wondered. Just for saving him from Caroline? She knew what Charlotte thought; that Darcy was interested in her. But Elizabeth knew that to be impossible. And yet…

With these thoughts swirling inside her mind, Elizabeth hit the water, and immediately started her laps, determined to make the most of the opportunity of being in this pool and simultaneously trying to avoid Darcy as much as she could. She managed to successfully to do that for a while, as long as she stuck to the front crawl. Elizabeth realised her mistakes a short while after switching to the butterfly stroke. She was self-taught, and her consistency on the buterfly stroke was wonky at best. She should never have attempted it here. It had a tendency to tire her out faster, and against her wishes, Elizabeth was forced to eventually come to a rest to catch her breath.

"You're a very strong swimmer."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "He says that, as she pants and gulps in air, clearly displaying her weakness, as the butterfly stroke laughs maniacally."

"I didn't know that a swimming stroke could be a sentient being," Darcy said. It looked as if he was smiling.

"Lots of things feel like sentient beings, given the right circumstances."

"You're bending your elbows. That's why you're struggling to get your arms over the water. You're getting tired because you're pushing your arms through the water too often."

Trust Darcy to notice all her flaws. "It's my best approximation of Youtube videos. I'll be sure to watch them closer tonight."

Darcy laughed, clearly taking her statement for a joke. "Point your thumbs down. That helps to lock in your elbows. The water won't pelt your inner elbows, and you'll recover over the water much easier."

Elizabeth stared in surprise. He was…Darcy was actually teaching her…

Her surprise must have been obvious, because Darcy offered an explanation. "I used to make the same mistake, until my coach fixed it for me."

"Coach…? Of course. You're a competitive swimmer!" Elizabeth could have kicked herself, and probably would have, had she not been treading water. He was tall, had broad shoulders, was lean…his physique was one of the first things she had noticed when she had seen him at that stupid condo party. He had a swimmer's physique…because he _was_ a swimmer! That thought caused her to blush, but it was soon followed with the realisation that his eagerness to ditch Caroline and come swimming with her now made perfect sense.

" _Were._ It's been a while since I competed in water. Here, try it with one arm, like this. You're right-handed? Leave your left at your side."

Elizabeth found herself listening to him, and the advantage of a private pool was that there was not a heap of people fighting for a lane. Darcy had all the room in the world to stay beside her, observing and instructing.

"Make sure to tilt your right shoulder up toward the surface a little more."

After several attempts, Elizabeth felt confident enough to direct Darcy to spend his time doing his own laps, instead of monitoring her, which advice he followed after a short while.

When Elizabeth was back in the changing room, she had to admit to herself that while more comfortable, she did also feel twinge of disappointment, not unlike the first time she had met Darcy. If she was being truthful, at least to herself, Elizabeth had to admit that upon first seeing him, she had been attracted to him. And _his_ response had been that she was merely tolerable. And now, for all of Charlotte's suppositions, Darcy had very good reasons to be doing all that he did, and none of those reasons had anything to do with her.

Because once you were merely tolerable, you stayed merely tolerable, Elizabeth thought.

* * *

Naturally, Charlotte abused her stupidity, and that too at the most inopportune moment.

"Eliza, I truly don't understand you. He teases you, he seeks you out, you read the same books, have the same hobbies, he puts down Caroline just for your company, takes you to an exclusive club when he could have just as easily left you at the closest bus halt, and you _still_ think…in fact, I'm not at all certain that you are thinking at all."

"Charlotte… come now. I know you think I'm being silly." Elizabeth paused, as the waiter came to take their order. When he left, she raised her voice slightly, to be heard above the din of the pub. "I also know that you seem to think that Darcy is somehow enamoured with me. Dear, _dear_ Charlotte. You _must_ see how ridiculous that thought is. A man, as proud as a peacock, as rich as Midas, who could have any woman he wants and for whom even Caroline Bingley is not good enough, and who, _as we both know,_ thinks that I am merely tolerable. If I wasn't good enough to tempt him to dance, he sure isn't paying for a dozen roses to romance me."

"So a man is not allowed to change his mind?"

"Occam's Razor. The most reasonable explanation is that Darcy wants Caroline to get the hint that she has no hopes with him, he knows that there is no love lost between Caroline and me, and sees that paying attention to me is the fastest and easiest way to get Caroline off his back, with no risk of my getting any ideas."

"With respect, I think you're using the principle of Occam's Razor all wrong. The simplest hypothesis is _my_ explanation, which only requires Darcy to have changed his mind from his initial comment at the party. _Your_ hypothesis is a mini novella with too many assumptions for it to be anything resembling simple."

Elizabeth contemplated this for a moment, but was absolutely convinced that Charlotte was simply wrong. "Perhaps you are right that your explanation uses the least amount of assumptions. But your assumption is so improbable that it is closer to being impossible, whereas my assumptions, of which I admit there are many, are most closer to reality."

"Elizabeth, I do strongly feel that your personal issues may be precluding you from seeing reality as it actually is."

Elizabeth paused, recalling Charlotte's words on the topic from weeks ago. "How can I possibly be afraid of rejection from a man who has _already_ rejected me?"

Charlotte's answer, whatever it may have been, was never expressed, as the person responsible for the evening appeared at their booth.

"Hello beautiful! I hope I'm not too late." George Wickham beamed at them.

He was, in fact, at least good fifteen minutes late, but Elizabeth figured that it would be bad form to open with that. George had called her earlier in the day to set-up an interview with Edward Gardiner, and had talked her into getting together in the evening for a couple of drinks. Knowing how curious Charlotte was about George, Elizabeth had managed to extend the invitation to the tried and tested 'some friends'.

Elizabeth liked George. He was friendly, charming, pleasant, easy to talk to, and most of all, she didn't have to engage in labyrinthine mental games to figure out what he thought of her. She hoped that Charlotte would share her opinion. "George, meet Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte, this is George Wickham."

It was clear that George came designed to impress, and Elizabeth was open to being impressed. Charlotte, while no Jane when it came to affability and warmth, was still all smiles and politeness. However, Elizabeth knew better than to assume that Charlotte's opinions were what she presented to the outside world. They chatted amiably for some time, until Elizabeth heard her phone beep. While she contemplated whether it would be rude to check her phone, Charlotte simply announced to the table that she was going to check her phone, before telling Elizabeth that Jane had arrived. Clearly, it had been a group text.

"Jane?" Elizabeth asked, frowning. "She told me she had plans with Charles."

"I spoke with her afterwards, and told her that they could meet us for drinks, and I guess they had some change in plans because they're both here." Charlotte paused, and masked her expression before following up with the next comment. "I think Darcy's with them as well."

Elizabeth bit her inner lip to stop herself from speaking. The chances of Darcy magically appearing at the same pub she was currently at was slim to none, without some type of meddling by Charlotte, Jane, or both.

The next comment, however, did not come from either women, but from George.

"Darcy? Darcy Fitzwilliam? Of Pemberley?"

"Pemberley?" Elizabeth asked blankly.

At the same time, Charlotte also spoke, sounding more than a tad surprised. "You know Darcy?"

"Lizzy! It's already so crowded in here," Jane's voice cut through everyone. She was smiling, looking positively radiant. Beside her was Charles, and beside him, Darcy.

"I haven't seen you ladies since the weekend at Netherfield," Charles said, smiling as per usual.

Elizabeth scooted over, to make space. "I think there's enough space for everyone. By the way, everyone, this is George Wickham. George, this is my sister Jane, and –"

"George." Charles said, clearly surprised.

Elizabeth, happening to see the countenance of George and Darcy as they looked at each other, was all astonishment at the effect of the meeting. Both changed colour, one looked white, the other red. What could be the meaning of it? It was impossible to imagine; it was impossible not to long to know.

George recovered first. "Charles, Darcy, what a pleasant surprise."

Charles simply cocked his head to a side, his discomfort evident.

"I hardly think that we can all manage here this evening. Charles, I'll find my own way home. Have a good evening, ladies." With that, Darcy turned on his heel and left.

Jane looked at Charles, perplexed. "Is he…is it okay that he takes a taxi home?"

"No," Charles said, and turned around to holler "Darcy, wait, I'm coming!" he turned to look at Jane. "Would you be okay with calling it an early evening?"

Jane nodded, and in less than a minute, Charles bade everyone a good evening, and left with an arm around Jane.

The three remaining members all looked at each other. It was foolish to pretend that nothing had happened.

George did not shirk away from the topic, and began by addressing it. "I am _so_ sorry that you both had to witness that, and sorrier still that Jane was compelled to leave because of me. I sincerely apologise."

Elizabeth noted that an apology was not really due from him; it was Darcy who had left abruptly, causing both Charles and Jane to also exit. George could hardly be blamed for that.

"How well do you both know Darcy?"

Charlotte looked meaningfully at Elizabeth when the question was asked. Elizabeth settled on a neutral response. Shrugging, she said "Darcy is friends with Charles, who is dating Jane. We've all met through that connection, but neither of us are particularly friendly or familiar with Darcy."

"Aaaah," said George thoughtfully. "Well, I normally would not share this story, but I feel that you deserve an explanation as to what just happened. You could not have met with a person more familiar with Darcy; he and I grew up together, and our families knew each other forever."

Elizabeth and Charlotte both had identical looks of surprise.

"You may well be surprised, at such an assertion, after witnessing what just happened. I am relieved to see that you're both not fawning over Darcy; the world is generally blinded by his fortune and power, or frightened by his arrogance and demeanour, and are too scared to say or do anything other than praise him."

"Charlotte and I are hardly people to be taken in just by the amount of money and power someone has."

George smiled at her. "Darcy and I are obviously not on friendly terms, and it always pains me to meet him. I don't know if you – if either of you have heard much about his late father, Justice Fitzwilliam. He was one of the best men that ever breathed, and the truest mentor I ever had; and I can never be in the same place as Darcy without thinking about how wonderful his father was. Darcy's behaviour to myself has been scandalous; but I verily believe I could forgive him anything and everything, rather than his disappointing the hopes and disgracing the memory of his father."

Elizabeth was dying of curiosity at this point, but the delicacy of the topic and common decorum kept her from saying anything.

Charlotte, on the other hand, was in her element. "I've heard a little about Darcy's father, as well as his mother. They were both highly respected judges, yes?"

George nodded. "Yes they were. Darcy's mother…oh, she was the epitome of class. Such a wonderful lady. So tragic, that accident."

Charlotte agreed, and spoke a little about drunk driving in general, before returning to the previous topic. "I'm not really in the field, but from what I hear, Darcy is a highly respected lawyer. I've heard people say that he'll probably follow in the footsteps of his parents, when the time is right."

Elizabeth hid a smile, and wondered if the 'people' Charlotte was referring to was actually just Caroline and one of her minions.

"I've not really heard anything to indicate that Darcy is, or would, disappoint or disgrace the memory of either of his parents," Charlotte continued.

"I'm not in the legal field – though I should have been. Law _ought_ to have been my profession – but Darcy determined otherwise."

"Darcy? How could he have a say in your career?" Elizabeth couldn't help but asking.

"The late Justice Fitzwilliam was my godfather, and excessively attached to me. I cannot say enough about his kindness. He meant to provide for my higher education, especially as my own parents passed away when I was very young, but when he died, Darcy did as he pleased, instead of following his father's wishes."

"What?! That's absurd," cried Elizabeth. "Why would Darcy completely ignore what his father wanted done? Did you hire a lawyer?"

"I could never take the Fitzwilliam family to court. Darcy was like a brother to me, growing up. These things happen, I suppose, though I never expected that it would happen to me, and certainly never at the hands of Darcy. There was just such an informality to everything…a man of honour could not have doubted the intention of my godfather. He always spoke of how Darcy and I would have each other to lean on through law school, and how he would make sure that I would never be in want of anything…and while he was alive, that certainly was the case. Darcy chose to doubt his own father's wishes and intention – or, as he told me, it was a merely conditional recommendation. He preferred to throw some money at me – nothing close to the cost of law school, mind you, and said that I had forfeited all claim to it anything more because I was too extravagant."

Elizabeth stared at George in horror. " _Darcy_ did this?" She recalled his conversation with Edward about how he had felt representing a payday loan firm, and Elizabeth struggled to make sense of what George was saying.

"But _why_ would Darcy do this?" Charlotte asked. "He has enough money to swim in. He wouldn't miss anything that was given to you."

George chuckled. "No, not by any stretch of the imagination. Part of my misfortune, I believe, is my own doing. I'm pretty open and outgoing – exactly the opposite of Darcy. I may have spoken my opinion _of_ him, and _to_ him, too freely. The fact is, we are very different sort of men, and he hates me. I mean, I guess it isn't just that. Jealousy had something to do with all this as well. Had his father loved me less, Darcy may have liked me more. His father's uncommon attachment to me irritated him, I believe, when we were just boys. Darcy's incredibly competitive, and, well, you can easily imagine the rest."

"This is shocking," Elizabeth said, deeply disappointed. "Darcy has a sister; where was she when all of this was going down?"

George sighed. "Well, she's considerably younger to Darcy. I don't think she really has much power, control, or say in what happens to the family wealth. As a child, she was affectionate and pleasing, and extremely fond of me; I have devoted hours and hours to babysitting her and doing what her brother _should_ have done, while he was off winning competitions and…anyway. I don't really know Georgiana anymore. I've heard all kinds of stories about her…it's really not my place to repeat second- or third- hand gossip. What I _can_ say is that she is a stunningly beautiful young woman; I saw her last summer when she was with Darcy's fiancé."

Elizabeth almost fell off her seat. Charlotte choked on her drink.

"Darcy is _engaged?_ "

"Well, not _formally,_ though I assume it'll be announced soon. Anne De Bourgh. Justice Catherine De Bourgh's daughter."

"Justice…oh my goodness…isn't she a Supreme Court judge?"

George nodded. "The one and only. She was Darcy's mother's cousin. If you think Darcy's proud, wait till you meet Justice De Bourgh. I haven't seen her for years, but I remember that I never really liked her. She has the reputation of being remarkably sensible and clever, but I just found her to be dictatorial and arrogant. I mean, of course she is undoubtedly clever, but, that's hardly an excuse for her attitude."

"I cannot _believe_ that Darcy is engaged, formally or otherwise," Charlotte stuttered.

"Well, at least he's being faithful to her by not hitting on other women," Elizabeth remarked quietly.


	10. Nothing Went According to Plan

**Chapter 10: Nothing Went According to Plan**

* * *

"What do you mean you didn't _ask?_ " Elizabeth stared at Jane, aghast. Her sister's disposition naturally tended towards the diplomatic, but Elizabeth couldn't believe that Jane had been inside a car with both Darcy and Charles, and had failed to ask a single question about George Wickham, or the incident they had all witnessed.

Charlotte bit her lip. "Did they say _anything?_ "

"I'm sorry that I…" Jane looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Guys…"

Elizabeth glanced at Charlotte, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. This night was going from bad to worse. "Jane, what is it? Forget Darcy. Forget George. Something's up with you. What's going on?"

"No, no, it's nothing. I…I kind of…I don't know what's going on with Charles and me," Jane said in a small voice.

Darcy and George were instantly forgotten, as Elizabeth tried her best to look calm. "Jane, what do you mean? I thought everything was fine…you haven't mentioned any problems…what's going on?"

Jane looked miserable. "I don't know. I don't _know._ Charles is amazing. I adore him. But…I don't like…I don't know how it got to this. When all this started, I was scared and ashamed and downplayed my career. And now it's like that doesn't exist, and I'm just this doll that's there and…I invited Charles and Caroline for the annual gala during dinner today, and they were both so surprised that I…I mean, they said yes, but…"

Elizabeth stared in dismay at her sister's broken confession. She had known, from that weekend at Netherfield, that the condescension shown towards Jane's chosen career would eventually become an actual problem to be dealt with, and not merely a topic to exchange veiled barbs over.

"Jane, sweetie, why don't you talk to Charles? Tell him how you're feeling? He's a good man; he'll understand." Elizabeth genuinely believed that Charles seemed reasonable enough to change his behaviour, if he knew how it upset Jane.

Jane looked at her, eyes full of shame. "Tell him that I've been working on my career since I was six, that it's one of the most important things in my life, when I've spent months pretending that it was just a thing I did to pass time?"

"You were less than truthful. Charles – and his family – have been less respectful," Charlotte said quietly. "I think it quite appropriate for you to tell him now how you're feeling."

"And perhaps it's better that you have the conversation now, as opposed to even later," Elizabeth added.

"After the gala, I suppose," Jane mumbled.

Charlotte looked at Elizabeth with concern, and Elizabeth knew what Charlotte was thinking. The gala would bring some other unfortunate characters that would have to be dealt with, and she thought it may be better to have an important conversation before, as opposed to after.

"Didn't mother say that she was going to come to the gala, with Lydia and Kitty?"

Jane nodded.

"Are you sure you want to speak to Charles _after_ he meets them? Because you're going to have an entirely separate conversation with him, just to explain _them_." Elizabeth couldn't help the bitterness in her voice. There wasn't a hint of sanity running through her mother or younger sisters, and Elizabeth despaired of what would happen when any of the Bingleys met them.

"Lizzy, I know what you're thinking, but they aren't so bad. They will surely know how to behave in such a grand and formal setting as the gala."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, but decided to not press the issue. She'd send her father an email immediately, asking him to intervene this once. The gala was a huge event, attracting all the crème de la crème of high society, for the launch of the new season of the ballet. She could not imagine that her family would have any semblance of appropriate behaviour; they could barely manage the neighbourhood Christmas party. Her mother and two sisters were a trio of the most vapid people Elizabeth knew.

"You're both coming, right?" Jane asked in earnest. "Have you asked anyone to join you?"

"Of course I'll be there," Charlotte said. "Just me, as per usual."

Elizabeth looked at her feet.

"Eliza?" Charlotte asked, and it was obvious that Charlotte was anticipating some manner of misstep.

Elizabeth sighed. "I invited George."

" _Eliza!"_

"What?! How was I supposed to anticipate all the drama that was going to unfold tonight? I mentioned the gala when we were chatting earlier, and it sounded like he wanted to be there and…it wasn't like I had anyone else to ask," she spluttered in defense.

"Darcy would have said yes, if you had asked him," Charlotte stated.

"Do you mean the same Darcy that's engaged? _That_ Darcy?" Elizabeth retorted. She remembered how she had been attracted to him, before he had declared her to be tolerable and desperate. She remembered how, most recently, she had been disappointed when she believed that Darcy was spending time with her to send a point to Caroline, and not because he wanted to…Elizabeth was ashamed to have considered Darcy in some manner or form, consciously or otherwise. She was furious with Darcy for giving reasons to question his attention to her, when he was clearly spoken for.

"I'm sorry, are we actually believing what George Wickham said?" Charlotte asked incredulously. "His story was outlandish and completely unbelievable!"

"I should have asked," Jane said in a small voice. "I'm so sorry."

"This is not _your_ fault, Jane," Elizabeth hastened to say. "Charlotte, yes, I admit that not everything George said sounded…plausible. But…why would he lie? And even if he _did_ lie, why on earth would he lie about Darcy being engaged, a matter so wholly unrelated to anything else he told us?"

"I don't know, but I find it hard to believe anything he said."

"Because you like Darcy."

"And you don't, because he insulted you once."

"George's story sounds horrid, but I can't believe that Darcy would have been so terrible to a person. No man of common humanity, no man who had any value for his character, could be capable of it. There must be some kind of misunderstanding…something to explain all of this. I'm sorry I didn't say or ask anything…but it was obvious that Charles knew why Darcy was so angry, and he…Charles is not so naïve and slow-witted that he could be deceived as to his best friend's character. I simply cannot believe Darcy to be so awful."

"Why would George invent such a history of himself as he told us? Names, facts, everything mentioned without ceremony. There was truth in his looks," Elizabeth said.

"Well…it's not like you can ask George why he'd invent such a story…but you can ask Darcy."

"Charlotte, please! You cannot be serious. I hardly know the man!" Elizabeth protested. "It would be far more sensible for Jane to discreetly ask Charles." Nevertheless, Elizabeth couldn't help but think that Darcy would appreciate being applied to directly, as opposed to Jane questioning Charles. She remembered him snapping at Caroline at Netherfield, for speaking about Jane in her absence. "Then again, Jane has enough things to deal with."

"So you're going to ask Darcy?" Charlotte asked, surprise evident. She clearly had not expected Elizabeth actually take up her idea.

"It's an excellent idea," Jane offered. "Imagine how awful it is to have stories like that told about you. Darcy would definitely want to know. That is…I can't believe Darcy to be so awful," Jane repeated, "but it's also shocking that George would create such an elaborate story unprovoked. There must be something more there. Lizzy, you'd probably be doing both men a favour by asking Darcy about it."

"Are you still going to the gala with George?" Charlotte asked.

"How am I supposed to dis-invite him, without appearing rude? Besides, we have no idea as to what's going on. There's a possibility that he's telling the truth."

"Why don't we take it one step at a time? Lizzy can speak to Darcy tomorrow, and then we'll have a better idea as to what to do," Jane said gently.

* * *

As it so happened, nothing went according to plan.

"Well?" Charlotte asked, as she and Elizabeth walked the short distance from the subway station to their house. She had been so busy that they had had no opportunity to speak during the day. Even on the train ride home, they had been accompanied by another colleague, making private conversation all but impossible.

Elizabeth sighed. "Weirdness. So much of it. I called Darcy's office, and got put through to his assistant. His assistant, all politeness, informed me that Darcy had to urgently leave the country and would not be available for over a week."

"What?!"

"Yup. Exactly. He was here last night, for all _that_ to go down, and less than 24 hours later, Darcy is off. Out of the country. It's not just me, right? It's weird, right?"

"Eliza, it's not just you. This _is_ weird. What do you suppose it means?"

"He's a lawyer that practises in _this_ country. He does class actions and some union-side work. Why on earth would he have to rush out of the country for work? No…there must have been some other emergency. A family emergency."

"Darcy doesn't have family abroad, does he?"

"He has a sister travelling through Europe, remember?" Elizabeth said, recalling an early conversation.

Charlotte looked at Elizabeth. "Do you think he left because of George?"

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte, the same question reflected in her eyes. She then went through her phone to locate an email, and handed it to Charlotte. "Take a looksie."

 **XXXXXXX**

From: Darcy Fitzwilliam

Subject: FW: Elizabeth Bennet

To: Elizabeth Bennet

Dear Elizabeth,

I received the message attached below from my assistant. I am away on some urgent family business and unfortunately am not in a position to meet with you until I return.

Is everything alright? I don't have your number, but if you email it to me, I can call you at a convenient time, if that helps.

Please let me know.

-  
Darcy Fitzwilliam

Partner

Kleinman Fitzwilliam

416-964-4649 ext 2561

\- Forwarded message -

From: Matthew Grange

Subject: Elizabeth Bennet

To: Darcy Fitzwilliam

Hi Darcy,

Ms. Bennet phoned at approximately 11:10 a.m. this morning, requesting to speak to you. She would not say what it was about, except that it was not related to the Morley class action.

I offered Ms. Bennet an appointment once you returned, but she declined. She stated that she would contact you once you returned.

Her email address is: elizabethb

If you need me to do anything, please let me know. I hope everything is okay.

Regards,

Matthew

-  
Matthew Grange

Legal Assistant to Darcy Fitzwilliam

Kleinman Fitzwilliam

416-964-4649 ext 2562

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"He seems to think you're in some kind of trouble. Did you reply?"

"I can't imagine why he'd think that I would call _him_ if I was in trouble. I told him it wasn't urgent and could wait until he came back. Told him I hoped everything was okay. What else could I say?"

"Eliza, you understand that his assistant probably had instructions to pass on any messages from you, even though Darcy is away, right?"

Elizabeth stared at Charlotte in surprise. Indeed, such a thought had not crossed her mind at all. However, she was kept from responding, as they had reached home, and there was so much noise emanating from the building that Elizabeth and Charlotte were immediately distracted.

"What on earth is going on?" Elizabeth asked in wonderment, as she and Charlotte practically ran the rest of the way.

They found the front door open, and music was blaring.

"Oh hi, you must be Lizzy and Charlie," said a woman Elizabeth had never before seen in her entire life.

"Excuse me?" Charlotte said.

Elizabeth went and knocked off the music.

"Lizzy! Charlotte! You guys are home!"

Lydia came tumbling down the stairs, closely followed by her other sister Kitty.

"Lydia. Kitty."

"Oh, look, she looks as sour as she always did," Lydia said, giggling. Kitty came and hugged both Elizabeth and Charlotte. "This is our friend Mary King."

"What are you guys doing here?" Elizabeth asked. She wrinkled her nose. "Have you been drinking?"

"Aren't you all underage?" Charlotte asked.

"Pffffffffft. Age is but a number!" Lydia sang.

"Lizzy, Charlotte, you're home!"

Elizabeth turned to see Jane behind them, at the door. She had clearly just returned from grocery shopping, and there was a strange man next to her. Jane already looked tired.

"Lydia and Kitty decided to come visit us ahead of the gala."

"Uh-huh."

'Oh, and this is Bill Collins. Mother insisted that he accompany the girls."

At that, the man stepped forward. "It is my deepest pleasure to make your acquaintance. As you are aware, my dearest Elizabeth, as your step-brother, we share a uniquely special relationship. Charlotte, a pleasure."

Elizabeth stared. Till this day, she had not even known that she _had_ a step-brother. She could only imagine that this Bill Collins was a child from a previous marriage, before his father married her mother.

Bill continued to speak. "Your esteemed mother specifically instructed me to look into you Elizabeth, and offer you better opportunities than life has thus far afforded you."

"Of course she did," Elizabeth muttered.

Jane, bursting with curiosity, could wait no longer. "Lizzy, did you speak to Darcy?"

"He's out of the country," Elizabeth and Charlotte chorused in unison.

Jane frowned. "All of a sudden?"

Elizabeth nodded. She was shocked as she felt Bill nudge shoulders with her conspiratorially. 'Creepy' was the best way to describe his looks and actions, and that was before he opened his mouth.

"So, who's this Darcy that's abandoned you to go out of the country? Is he your boyfriend? Your mother said that only Jane was able to hold on to a man; perhaps she doesn't know about this Darcy? _Hmmmm?_ "

Jane looked mortified.

"Bill. _Not_ that any of this is your business, but Darcy is not my boyfriend, and _all_ of this is a private matter between Jane, Charlotte, and myself."

Bill smiled indulgently. "Of course. You ladies and your little secrets. Charming. All of this is so charming!"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Bill works for some hoity-toity judge, and thinks that somehow makes him special. But hey, Lizzy, you're in law school, so maybe Bill _could_ help you. Though, if you're trying to catch this Darcy dude, _I'm_ the one who can help you," she said, winking at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's head was about to burst.

"Lydia, I would ask that you refer to Justice De Bourgh with some respect," Bill said, clearly put out.

"De Bourgh?" Charlotte asked. "Catherine De Bourgh? You work for Justice Catherine De Bourgh?"

Bill immediately perked up. "You know of Justice De Bourgh. Such a marvellous, formidable lady."

Elizabeth bit her tongue, but Charlotte spoke. "That's Darcy's aunt."

Bill looked at the women in amazement. "You were speaking about Darcy Fitzwilliam! Well, why did you not say so? He is the nephew to my esteemed patroness."

"Yes, we know that much," Elizabeth groused. Then she paused, wondering if Darcy had already witnessed this circus act. "Have you met Darcy?"

Bill smiled. "Not yet, but I do believe that I will have that opportunity."

"Oh?"

"Well, of course! He is to marry Anne De Bourgh, and as such an indispensable member of Justice De Bourgh's staff, I expect to play a big part in organising the wedding."


	11. Red, Red Wine

**Chapter 11: Red, Red Wine**

* * *

Law school exams the previous year meant that Elizabeth had missed the gala. All this year, Elizabeth had been looking forward to finally attending the gala. She felt that she had grown up, that she would be better able to appreciate the event. But the evening was turning into a veritable nightmare.

First of all, uneasy with everything that was going on and all the suspicions and suppositions, Elizabeth was did not want to attend the gala with George. She had even called George, trying to rescind the invitation. But George was unexpectedly bullish, doubled-down on attending the gala, on escorting her, and even managed to make some snide remarks about Darcy. The whole thing was making Elizabeth very uncomfortable. But the discomfort of walking into the gala with George was nothing compared to what her family had in store for her.

Elizabeth had emailed her father the same day she had walked in on Lydia, Kitty, and their friend Mary King getting drunk in their kitchen. She had begged her father to come to the city immediately, both to show some support for Jane, and to chiefly bring her younger sisters in line. Her father, unfortunately, resolutely refused, stating that Lydia and Kitty were no different to most other females, and that Elizabeth should not be so worked up. Further, he refused to attend the gala, saying that he could not bother coming into the city and that it wasn't something Jane was expecting. Mary, the only sister remaining with her father, also refused to attend, stating that a gala was simply a waste of everyone's time and money.

At the gala, Lydia, Kitty, and Mary King were getting on famously with George, and getting on even better with the bar. They also had no qualms about introducing themselves to any and all good-looking young men in attendance. They easily caught the attention of Caroline and Louisa, who looked upon her family in open derision. Elizabeth had tried repeatedly to get Lydia and Kitty to behave with an ounce of decorum, or just stand next to her for fifteen minutes, to no avail. Charlotte's attempts were equally futile.

The only good thing in all of this was, as far as Elizabeth could see, Jane was far across the hall, chatting with Charles and some of her colleagues.

"Where's George?" Charlotte asked, coming to stand beside her.

"Haven't the foggiest," Elizabeth replied. "Last I saw, he had Lydia on one arm and Mary King on the other; but right now I can see Lydia draping herself over some guy, and George is nowhere in sight."

"I'm embarrassed to be seen with them. All of them."

"At least they're not _your_ family." Elizabeth sighed. "I want to go home."

"Oh, apropos of nothing, Darcy's here," Charlotte said.

Elizabeth jerked around to face Charlotte. "What? Where? Why?"

"We ran into each other; he said hello. I said hello. I don't have the answers to any of your questions…" Charlotte suddenly dropped her voice, "but he's only a few feet away. Probably coming to talk to _you._ "

Unfortunately for both of them, someone else covered the short distance faster than Darcy.

"Lizzy, you've avoided me all evening!"

Elizabeth winced at the shrill voice. "Mother," she replied, trying to keep her voice cordial.

"Charlotte, why don't you ever help my Lizzy try and look nice? That is just not your colour Lizzy, you can't carry just any and every colour the way Jane or Lydia can."

"Yes mother," Elizabeth muttered, not seeing any point in trying to argue. She saw Darcy from the corner of her eye. He seemed rooted to the spot, and his expression looked both shocked and contemptuous.

"Well, well, this is a really nice set-up they have. Do you think they do private rentals? Jane could have her wedding here."

"Wedding?" Charlotte croaked.

"Mother, no one is speaking about getting married."

"Such silly girls, both of you," Mrs. Bennet chided. "Jane and Charles, obviously. Have you seen how he looks at her? Clearly he's besotted. He's going to propose to her, I have no doubt about it."

"Mother, you _must_ stop."

"Stop? Why should I stop being delighted for my child? And now Jane can finally stop prancing about the stage…Charles is so rich, after all, there's no need for her to work."

"Mother!"

"I really don't think Jane dances just for the money," Charlotte tried to interject.

"Well, I never understood why she had to ruin her feet doing this nonsense, and mark my words, once Charles proposes, Jane is going to stop this childish nonsense. Maybe she can take a course in interior designing. I think Charles would appreciate that. Just the right kind of thing for a lawyer's wife."

"I don't think you know _anything_ about Charles _or_ Jane to be saying these things. You must stop these musings, seriously," Elizabeth said, and then dropped her voice the same way Charlotte had done. "Charles' friend is standing right here, and he can undoubtedly hear you. You're not helping Jane's case."

"What nonsense you speak, Lizzy. As if Charles' friends can keep him from marrying Jane. That's the advantage of being beautiful; men will do whatever Jane tells them to." Mrs. Bennet was as loud as ever.

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte. "Kill me now."

"Lizzy, what _is_ the matter with you?" her mother asked. "At least you managed to come here with a nice man, which is more than you've managed in the past."

Elizabeth saw Darcy walk away, and she wondered if she willed it hard enough, the earth would open up and swallow her whole.

"Lizzy, your brother says he can help you find a proper job."

"He is _not_ my brother. Don't even start that nonsense with me."

Kitty and Bill chose that very moment to join; Kitty because she needed help with some wardrobe malfunction, and Bill…jut because he was Bill. Charlotte gently yet firmly suggested that Mrs. Bennet go and assist Kitty. Elizabeth looked at Charlotte, sending silent thanks her way. Bill proved to be no great improvement from her mother.

"I have found out," said he, "by a singular accident, that there is now in the room a near relation of the esteemed Justice De Bourgh. I happened to overhear him speaking to one of the board members here, and they were mentioning his honourable aunt. How wonderfully these sort of things occur! Who would have thought of my meeting with, perhaps, a nephew of Justice de Bourgh at an event like this! I must thank my sister Jane for this wonderful opportunity to expand my familiarity with Her Honour's family. And imagine, I can now go pay my respects to him, and trust he will excuse my not having done it before."

"You are not going to introduce yourself to Darcy!"

"Indeed I am. I shall entreat his pardon for not having done it earlier. I believe him to be Justice De Bourgh's _nephew_. I can let him know that Her Honour was in good health when I left her, and that work on the restoration of the left wing is happening right on schedule."

"He can find that out from a _phone call_. Bill, I _assure_ you, Darcy is absolutely not going to appreciate you stalking over to him and introducing yourself."

Bill listened to her with the determined air of following his own inclination, and, when she ceased speaking, responded to her in the same manner he would have to a fly needing swatting. "My dear Lizzy, I don't think you have enough experience in meeting and mingling with great families to understand that they always appreciate being acknowledged and distinguished. You must therefore allow me to follow the dictates of my superior knowledge and experience on this occasion, which leads me to perform what I look on as a point of duty. I believe that this is one of the very reasons why your mother wishes for me to take you under my wing. Ladies," he said, before slightly bowing to them in an absurd fashion and going off to find Darcy.

"Eliza, this turning into a nightmare! I'm going after Bill."

"Charlotte, don't! Bill is going to do whatever he wants; don't be seen with him and risk your own – oh no, I can see him talking to Darcy," Elizabeth said, dread seeping through her bones.

It was evident that Darcy was astonished at being approached by Bill. Neither Elizabeth not Charlotte could hear the conversation, but they could definitely see Darcy's reaction. Darcy was eyeing Bill with unrestrained wonder, and when at last Bill allowed him time to speak, Darcy's contempt seemed abundantly clear.

"You wait here, I'm going to drag Bill away," Charlotte declared, and headed purposefully toward the two men.

Elizabeth was beginning to feel that nothing short of a suicide pact was going to salvage the evening. Feeling the onset of a headache, she headed towards the balcony, but stopped when she heard someone speaking to her.

"A drink, for the beautiful lady," George said, as he handed a glass to her.

"Thanks," Elizabeth said, as she took the glass of wine. Red. She bit back a comment about how she loathed red wine. She _also_ bit back a comment about how he, her date, had abandoned her almost since the moment they had arrived.

George smiled at her somewhat sheepishly, without her needing to say anything. "I hope you'll forgive my inattention; your sisters can be quite a handful."

"Oh, were you following them all evening? I thought maybe you were mingling, maybe making some professional connections." If her remark sounded snide, Elizabeth was well beyond the point of caring.

George did not stop smiling. "I thought it my duty to keep an eye on the girls. You can never tell what girls that age could get up to. Have I mentioned how stunning you look tonight?"

"Yup. Thrice, by my count." Elizabeth was beginning to realise that she preferred having a sensible, lively conversation as opposed to simply being fawned over for how she looked. She couldn't even be sure that the fawning was genuine, especially in a room full of women who were clearly her superior in looks.

"Are you okay? You seem to be…upset. Have some wine, it'll make you feel better."

Elizabeth sighed. Picking a fight with George in the middle of the gala seemed to be both a useless venture and a bad idea. "I'm fine, but thanks for the drink." She saw two people heading their way; with his back turned, there was no was George could see them. "I think that's Darcy and Charlotte, heading this way."

"Darcy is _here?_ "

"Apparently so."

George looked a bit shaken. "Why don't you chat with him? I'm going to go refill my drink; be right back!"

"Sure you will," Elizabeth muttered under her breath.

It was, in fact, only Darcy who made it to her; Charlotte had conveniently stopped on the way.

"Good evening, Elizabeth."

"Darcy. Hi. I didn't…are you…"

Darcy spoke at the same time. "Not enjoying your drink? Can I get you something else? Gin and tonic is your preference, yes?"

Elizabeth looked at him quizzically.

Darcy looked slightly embarrassed. "I believe that's what you had at Netherfield. Maybe I'm mistaken."

Elizabeth smiled, and now it was she who was embarrassed. She was embarrassed that he knew what she liked, and simultaneously mildly gratified that he actually remembered. "It is, though I feel bad throwing away perfectly good alcohol."

Darcy deftly took the glass from her hand. "I don't mind wine, so I'll have this." A mere look from him had a waiter at their service in an instance, and before Elizabeth knew it, she had her preferred drink in hand.

"I didn't know that you were going to be here," Elizabeth said, unsure of what to say.

He shrugged. "We're donors, so someone always attends the annual gala."

"'We' as in your firm or…?"

"My parents were very keen on supporting the arts, and I try to continue what they started." Darcy seemed to hesitate slightly, before he next spoke. "I think your mother was mistaken. That colour…it brings out your eyes. It suits you."

Elizabeth blushed. "My mother can be a bit much. She doesn't really know the difference between her inside voice and outside voice. Is…is your family alright? I don't mean to pry…its just…"

"No, of course, it's fine. Everyone is fine, thank you for asking. You had wanted to speak to me..."

"Yes," Elizabeth said, and immediately decided that this wasn't the appropriate venue to ask him about George. "But not now...I don't think I can concentrate on that topic amidst all of this."

Darcy nodded. "You weren't at the gala last year, were you?"

"No, I wasn't, not that we'd have known each other, even if I had been here."

"I met Jane last year at the gala. She, of course, didn't remember me later, when Charles introduced us."

Elizabeth felt her stomach turn, just slightly. She had the feeling that Darcy was trying to tell her something uncomfortable. "You knew Jane?"

"No, no, I didn't know her. She was introduced as one of the dancers…my sister was very interested in a career in the arts, and we spoke about what Jane's experience was like. I had to provide Georgiana with some unvarnished information of what entering the field would be like."

"But you remembered Jane." Elizabeth knew what he was thinking, without him needing to vocalise it.

"I was surprised when I met her. Not because she didn't remember me, it was just…she was quite different from the focussed, driven dancer I had met a year ago," he said.

"Darcy, I know what you're thinking. I know you heard what my mother said. Let me tell you –"

He cut her off mid-sentence. "It's so hot in here. Why is it so hot in here? You'd think they'd fix the air conditioning for an event like this. Why is it so hot in here? Aren't you hot?"

Elizabeth stared at him. "Darcy, are you okay?"

"Sure I am. It's hot, but I'm fine."

"Uh huh. Here, why don't we get some fresh air?" Confused, Elizabeth guided him to the balcony.

It was indeed much cooler on the balcony, and Elizabeth hoped that Darcy would soon get back to normal.

"You were saying something, weren't you? About your mother?"

"About _Jane._ I…" Elizabeth paused, suddenly unsure about having this conversation. Also, she was beginning to worry about Darcy. Normally, he was…she couldn't put her finger on it. The Darcy she knew didn't generally express himself like this.

"I'm confused. Were we talking about Jane, or your mother? Jane…well. Did she just decide to abandon her career aspirations as soon as she was promoted to soloist? Or did that change happen when she met Charles? Anyway, the Jane I met wasn't so disinterested and dismissive of her own career."

"And you think that makes you an expert on Jane?"

"Nope. Just someone with no biases who observed a drastic change in her attitude. Is your mother an expert on Jane? Because she sure as hell isn't an expert on colours that suit you."

"Darcy –"

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" he sang. "Isn't that what you told Edward? How is Edward? You know, _that's_ the kind of man you should invite for these type of events. He wouldn't embarrass you like your mother and sisters are doing. I saw you trying to get them away from the bear."

"Bear?"

Darcy frowned. "Bear...blare…"

"Did you mean bar?"

"You're so smart! That's it! Bar! Like bar exams. Which you'll be taking soon!"

Elizabeth stared at Darcy in alarm. Something was wrong. _Very_ wrong. This was _not_ Darcy.

Darcy was oblivious to her concern and continued to ramble. "I knew there was a reason I liked you. You're smart. I aaaalways tell Georgiana that intelligence is the most…the most…the most something. You know what I mean. And of course you eyes. Obviously. You and Jane are apples that clearly fell very far from the tree."

Elizabeth placed her drink on the banister and held Darcy by his forearm. "Darcy, how much have you had to drink?"

"Whatever you gave me. And something before that."

"Just two drinks?" Elizabeth asked, somewhat confused.

Darcy leaned into her. "Yes. Your drink and my drink. You know, I _do_ peel skunk. Funk. Trunk."

"Drunk?"

"That's it. Why is there two of you?" Darcy asked, and now his words were slightly slurred. He touched her cheek. "Just one of you, right? I'm confused."

"Right. Darcy, tell me how you're feeling." Elizabeth was beginning to taste bile. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she was beginning to understand exactly what had just happened.

"Feeling?" Darcy slung his arm around her shoulder, and Elizabeth wasn't quite sure if it was for support, or due to his increasing lack of inhibition. "I feel…that you have stunning dyes that I can't get out of my head. Dyes. Dyes. Eyes. Eyes."

"Darcy…"

" _Eyes!_ Your eyes are stunning. I feel…that…I dunno what I feel. Richard thinks I've fallen for you, but what would he know about my feelings? And I told him that…it's not a great idea to match feelings, is it? Match. Batch. Catch."

Astonished as she was, Elizabeth tried her best to focus. It absolutely would not do for _both_ of them to lose it. "Feeling _physically,_ Darcy. Are you nauseous? Drowsy? Can you breath okay?"

"Oh. Well. I don't…there's two of you. I think. It's hot. I _am_ nauseous. How did you know? I want to go home." Darcy's words were becoming increasingly slurred and jumbled.

"And we will, right now. You'll be fine, okay? Tell me where you live, and give me your alarm code. Everything's going to be just fine." She put one arm around his waist, trying to steady him. Darcy was still holding on to the now-empty glass of red wine. She took the offending glass from him, and as much as she wanted to fling it across the balcony, she restrained herself and placed it on the banister. It absolutely would not do for her to lose her mind out here.

Elizabeth herself was feeling nauseated. She had seen Darcy drink at Netherfield. He had drunk alcohol far stronger than red wine, and had managed to remain steady on his feet, without any indication of being drunk. Elizabeth knew that he wasn't drunk now.

It was something much worse.

And it was something that had been intended for her.


	12. Ashamed & Mortified

**Chapter 12: Ashamed & Mortified**

* * *

The chaos in Elizabeth's mind was so great that she could feel a throbbing vein. If she had been able to, she would have just sat down and cried for half an hour. So much had happened in the last forty minutes, and even with no time to reflect or digest all of it, she was beyond astonished.

But she had no time for astonishment, or indeed, for any other type of feeling. Her only priority right now was making sure that Darcy was okay. And she had to sneak him out of the gala without raising any eyebrows or unwanted attention. She had her arm around his waist, but their significant height difference meant that Elizabeth struggled to not fall over.

"Well, I have to admit, this is not how I saw the evening ending."

"George!" Elizabeth hissed. She had managed to bring Darcy into the lobby without much drama; Elizabeth could only assume that George had discreetly followed them at a short distance. Darcy mumbled something at George which was entirely incomprehensible to Elizabeth. She realised that Darcy was trying to move towards George, and she had to now use all her strength to hold him back. "How could you…" For once, Elizabeth was too horrified to form a sentence.

George looked her up and down. "You clever girl, trapping Darcy like this. I don't think I gave you nearly enough credit. If you need some help with him, I can certainly assist."

Elizabeth couldn't quite believe what was happening. "How. Dare. You. _You_ tried to drug me. This is all _your_ doing! How dare you –"

George smirked. "So you're still in the same uppity mood you've been in for days. Some wine would have really helped you relax. Like I said."

"Djyoo…"

Whatever Darcy was trying to say was drowned out by Elizabeth talking over him. "Do you know what would happen to you if I picked up the phone and called the police? How dare you stand there and –"

George had the audacity to laugh. "Lizzy dearest, aren't you studying to be a lawyer? Look at the facts. You made one of the richest men in the country drink wine laced with drugs, and now you're taking him home. Or taking him _somewhere._ Notice how my name doesn't figure anywhere in that sentence? All _I_ did was give _you_ a glass of wine. And you seem hale and hearty. Whatever's happened to Darcy, that's all on you." George smirked, and it was both ugly and frightening. "You want to call the cops, then go ahead. Please, be my guest. Go ahead and explain to them how you managed to drug Darcy, and now want to lay all the blame on your accomplice, whose only job was to bring you a glass of wine. There's no way you're taking me on without my dragging you down with me."

Elizabeth felt hot tears prick her eyes, and she had to fight to keep them from spilling over. There was truth to George's words, and she had never felt so scared in her entire life.

"Elizabeth? Are you alright? What are you doing out here in the lobby? Your mother is looking all over for you."

At the sound of Bill's voice, George hightailed it out of there. Coward, Elizabeth thought to herself. She tried to regain control of herself, and the situation she found herself in. Not only had she got herself into this mess because of her own wilful blindness, she was entirely responsible for the situation Darcy found himself in.

Elizabeth squared her shoulders. Anyone with basic powers of observation could see that Darcy was not himself, and Bill, for all his faults, was able to assess the situation correctly. She commanded Bill to flag down a taxi immediately. It did take a considerable amount of convincing for Bill to not get into the taxi himself. Ultimately, it was Darcy who was successful, as he was fairly coherent and understandable when he declared he didn't want anyone but Elizabeth with him. In spite of the situation, Elizabeth found herself turning a distinct shade of scarlet. Bill looked at her penetratingly, and simply whispered to her to be careful, reminding her that Darcy was already spoken for.

* * *

Elizabeth knew that she should call Charlotte back, but she wanted a brief period of silence before she had to voice out loud her thoughts. Darcy finally seemed asleep for good, and Elizabeth wanted a moment – or multiple moments – to gather her thoughts. Darcy was sprawled across his bed, and since the bed was the size of a small ship, there was more than enough space for her to sit comfortably, keeping an eye on him. She had switched off the light, but, uncertain as to what emergencies may arise, left the light on in the en suite, with the door open. She leaned back on a pillow, and closed her eyes for a minute.

That Darcy was interested in her! 'Falling for her', as the mysterious Richard had put it. That he thought she was smart and intelligent and…the stunning eyes! The whole thing was almost too incredible to believe.

She was honoured and gratified to have inspired unconsciously such feelings, though she felt rather foolish when she recalled what Charlotte's opinion on the subject had consistently been. Elizabeth was filled with a sense of shame and stupidity. If her pride and vanity had not been so affected by what Darcy had said before he had even met her properly, maybe she, like Charlotte, would have been aware of what was right in front of her. Maybe she would have managed her behaviour and actions such that the whole debacle of the evening could have been avoided.

When she tried to think of George, her feelings were yet more acutely painful. Astonishment, apprehension, and even horror, overcame her. She had no idea what the history between Darcy and George was, but she no longer needed to. She no longer needed to speak to Darcy to find out his version of events. Nothing could be clearer to her at this point except the nature of George's character. Darcy being engaged to his cousin was probably the _only_ accurate thing George had ever said, and the only reason Elizabeth allowed him even that was because Bill had also verified it.

Elizabeth felt so ashamed that it was almost a physical feeling of pain. Charlotte had had the presence of mind and insight to disbelieve George, and to be on guard against him. Even Jane had wanted to believe that there had been a misunderstanding. But her own doubts had not compelled her to unequivocally rescind George's invitation, and without that, there was no way that George would have been able to wreak the havoc that he had.

And Darcy had offered to call her! All Elizabeth had to do was give him her number. But no, she had been too silly and too blind and too indecisive to understand the gravity of what was unfolding. Elizabeth had no doubt now, that had she and Darcy spoken before the gala, whatever Darcy would have told her would have been enough for her to know the true nature of George. She perfectly remembered everything that had been said by George at the pub. Even then, both she and Charlotte (and later, Jane) had been struck with the utter impropriety of George sharing such personal information with veritable strangers. Oh why, why, _why_ had she not spoken to Darcy before the gala!

George had flattered her; Darcy had been honest from the day he met her. She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor George could she think without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, and absurd. Offended by the insult by Darcy, and then further offended by his perceived neglect and rudeness, pleased with George's attention and flattery, Elizabeth realised that she had courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, with dire consequences.

Elizabeth was painfully aware of how differently the events of the evening could have played out. Instead of Darcy passed out in his own bed, that could have easily been _her,_ heaven knew where, completely at the mercy of George Wickham. Elizabeth shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

"Ugh, how stupidly I have acted!" she moaned out loud. Thoroughly ashamed of herself, Elizabeth, as if intending to exasperate herself as much as possible, ran through, in her mind, every interaction she had ever had with Darcy, as well as George. When she began to seriously think of how the evening could have gone, where she could have found herself, likely with no memory of it the next morning, it all became too much.

Elizabeth barely made it to the bathroom before she threw up the entirety of her stomach contents. The more she thought about that glass of wine, the more sick she felt, on top of all her feelings of shame and inadequacy. It was a while before Elizabeth realized that she had stopped throwing up, she had even stopped dry heaving, and was just sitting on the bathroom floor crying. What she wanted to do most was call Charlotte, or Jane, and cry some more. But she knew that sanity had to prevail. On top of that, after all the agitation and tears, Elizabeth now had a throbbing headache.

"What a mess," she said, looking at herself in the mirror. Her dress was wrinkled and stained, her make-up smeared, and the bathroom a sorry mess, with spots and crumpled tissues everywhere. "Get yourself together, Elizabeth Bennet," she said to the bedraggled reflection. "You can fall apart again once you go home. You're supposed to be making sure Darcy doesn't die in his sleep, not having a pity party in his bathroom."

Then again, Elizabeth surveyed the bathroom. It was easily the size of her bedroom. There was ample space for a party.

First, she needed to take something for her headache. Then, she had to clean up the bathroom. Lastly, she had to sort herself out. Loathe as she was to snoop, Elizabeth knew something had to be done about the headache, and she had clearly not taken painkillers with her to the gala. Her tiny clutch was as useless as bags came.

She got lucky on the second drawer, and found the requisite painkillers. In the process, she discovered that Darcy apparently collected hotel toiletries, as the first drawer was full of them. Elizabeth then looked at her dress. She couldn't semi-clean a bathroom in it. Even in the state she was in, Elizabeth was not willing to write-off the dress. It had been expensive. _Very_ expensive, for her budget. And she couldn't strip down to nothing, given that the unconscious owner of the house could wake up any moment.

"A night for embarrassment, if there ever was," she muttered, as she trudged over to what appeared to be the laundry hamper. "Let's hope Darcy wears something other than long-sleeved shirts." As she said that, she recalled that his wardrobe at Netherfield had not consisted of a single long-sleeved shirt, but Elizabeth allowed herself to hang on to one prejudgment for what was left of the evening, given that she had unceremoniously let go of all the rest. She managed to find a t-shirt that seemed more clean than dirty, but it suited her purpose, and given their height difference, the t-shirt seemed more like a mini-dress on her.

Elizabeth unearthed the cleaning supplies in no time, and cleaned up the bathroom as quietly and efficiently as she could. Once she finished that task, Elizabeth went to check on Darcy. He hadn't budged, so she took the shortest shower known to mankind. She really didn't want to shower at Darcy' place, but smelling of vomit for the next ten hours was also not an option. Elizabeth was done hunting for more t-shirts, clean or dirty. She saw Darcy's robe hanging on a hook, and it looked entirely unused. She decided it would suffice as adequate clothing for the rest of her stay. She intended to be long gone by the time Darcy woke up, and she also planned to change back into her dress by that time.

"Darcy?" Elizabeth stage-whispered. _"Darcy?"_

Darcy did not stir. Another wave of guilt washed over her, and Elizabeth decided to walk around, and maybe get herself some water, or whatever else she could find in Darcy's fridge.

When she had come here earlier in the evening, Elizabeth had noticed hardly anything, given the state of shock she had been in. As she climbed down the stairs, Elizabeth took in more of her surroundings. Like her home, Darcy lived in an old Victorian. But quite unlike her place, Darcy's house was _massive._ And, it had been completely renovated, and clearly not merely to fix leaking roofs and draughty windows.

For the first time, Elizabeth noticed the black and white photographs on the wall as she made her way downstairs. She wondered if Darcy had taken them, or someone else. Whoever it was, she was impressed. Elizabeth made her way into the kitchen first. It was all modern fittings and lots of space. Somehow, it was exactly the kind of kitchen she'd picture for Darcy. She imagined that he would be meticulous in the kitchen, fastidious about the details, and following recipes down to the most minor of instructions. She then blushed, feeling embarrassed for imagining such a domestic scenario. No matter what Darcy may have said while drugged, her own shameful actions did not allow her to now take such liberties in ideas.

Sighing, Elizabeth made her way to the fridge, where she was once again greeted by the mysterious Richard. Various phone numbers were scribbled on a piece of paper next to the name 'Richard', stuck onto the fridge with a magnet. There were also several take-out menus, and it was apparent that Darcy preferred Italian above all else. Inside the fridge, she found almost no food, which was unsurprising given that Darcy had recently been travelling. She found several cans of Red Bull, white wine, tonic, cheese, and… _juice!_

Elizabeth helped herself to a sliver of cheese, and glass of orange juice.

The place was open-concept, and Elizabeth walked into what looked to be the dining room. It was a large, well proportioned room, and simply, if expensively, decorated. It struck Elizabeth that this was what class looked like; real elegance, as opposed to opulent finery.

It also struck her that had she been anything other than monumentally stupid, she wouldn't be skulking around Darcy's house at midnight uninvited. No, she could have been a welcome guest as opposed to a guilty stranger. Sighing, she moved to mantle, where she could see many photographs. She easily recognised a younger Darcy and Charles, from law school, perhaps even from university. Then there was Darcy and another man, and Elizabeth instinctively knew that she was looking at the mysterious Richard. The Richard who had apparently told Darcy that he was falling for _her._ Elizabeth blushed at the thought. How could a man who had never even met her be so perceptive, while she had been so, so blind?

Front and centre were photos of Darcy's parents. Most of them were of the couple alone, although there was one of them with a very young, boyish Darcy. There was teenage Darcy, laughing, carrying a little girl on his back. Georgiana, his sister, Elizabeth thought. There were so many photos of Georgiana that it was easy to see her growth trajectory, from a little girl with braces to stunning teenager, ready for her prom. And hidden in his smile, Elizabeth thought she could detect the parental worry of Darcy. There was Darcy, Georgiana, and Charles in a dimly lit booth, and she figured that this was during one of the karaoke sessions that Charles had mentioned.

She wanted to know this Darcy. She wanted to know the man who drank Red Bulls to stay awake, who carried his baby sister on his back, who went to karaoke bars because his best friend convinced him to. She wanted to get to know the man who apparently collected hotel toiletries.

Elizabeth sighed. She had liked him, when she had first seen him. She had been attracted to him. Even at The Ivy, she had wanted his attentions, free and clear. And she had _had_ it! But she had been too vain to see it, and now, she had spoilt any chance she could have had.

A dull buzz interrupted her reverie, and Elizabeth sprinted to find her clutch, and answered her phone.

"Charlotte!"

"Elizabeth! Where are you? You didn't answer my earlier call. Where are you? I've been so worried!"

"Oh Charlotte, I'm so sorry. I've…ugh. What a night. Where are you? Kitty? Lydia? Mary King?"

"I sent Kitty home with Bill. I managed to convince Mary to come home with me later on. I honestly don't know where Lydia is, except both Mary and Kitty insist that she hooked up with a waiter, and she's at least texting them both, so we know she isn't lying in a ditch somewhere unconscious. Where _are_ you? Are you at the hospital still? Shall I come over? How's poor Darcy doing?"

"I'm at Darcy's place. The doctor said that he seemed okay, all things considered, and they did some blood tests. Said he'd probably be more comfortable at home, and to watch him for twelve hours. Which was about nine hours ago. I brought him home – _his_ home, obviously. Can you imagine being Darcy and waking up in some random hospital after a night like this? And who knows if he'd even _want_ to answer the myriad of questions they'd have for him? He's such a private person. They also didn't really seem to care much; either because he was a guy, or because they see this so often…"

"Or a combination thereof," Charlotte finished the sentence. "How's he doing?"

"Well. He mostly stopped talking at the hospital. He mostly stopped walking when we got here, and there was fifteen or twenty minutes where he was just lying on the floor. Then he started walking again, but mostly into walls. I managed to coax him upstairs. By the way, Darcy's bedroom alone is the size of our house. His bathroom is bigger than my room. I kid you not." Elizabeth started making her way upstairs; she had left her patient unattended for way too long.

"Did he throw up?"

"Surprisingly, no. I tried to get him to change…but he ended up locking himself inside his closet – a walk-in, naturally." Elizabeth refrained from adding that she had managed to remove his belt and tie, and Darcy had been so compliant at that point that she could have easily gone further. Elizabeth had felt both guilty and embarrassed, and she blushed just thinking back to it.

"Elizabeth?"

"I got him to drink some water, which he did, once he finally stepped out of the closet. I asked him what he wanted to do, which was stupid of me, because he said he wanted to sing. So we warbled one or two Stones numbers, and then I told him to sleep, which he finally did. He's been asleep ever since."

"Are you okay?"

"Hmmm…well, I've cried, thrown up, dry heaved, and been so mortally ashamed of myself…and only nine more hours to go. Piece of cake."

"Eliza…"

"I'm _miserable_. I feel awful, and so mortified…but I'm intruding as it is, so I can hardly invite others over just to make myself feel better."

"I do see the point of not inviting more people over there. It's not our house to do as we wish. But _nine_ more hours? You'll be awake for more than a whole day by the end of it!"

"And who else _should_ stay awake for a full day, if not me? Darcy's in this state because of my idiocy. The hospital said to watch him for twelve hours. Nine more to go to be in the clear. Apparently, Darcy's fridge is full of Red Bulls."

"Just like ours, I see."

"Not now, Charlotte. Point is that I will have help staying awake."

Charlotte asked her about the house, and Elizabeth described the parts she had seen, going into detail over the photographs.

"What's Anne like?" Charlotte asked.

"Who?"

"Anne De Bourgh. Isn't that who Darcy is supposed to be engaged to?"

"Oh. Right." Now that she thought about it, Elizabeth realised that she hadn't seen a single photo of a woman who could have been Darcy's fiancé. "For an engaged man, Darcy lives suspiciously like a bachelor. One toothbrush, one hairbrush, only his clothes, and not a _single_ photo of her."

"Eliza…as soon as you called me…I went to the balcony and took the two glasses I found there. I know what George threatened you with, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to take the glasses. Just in case."

"Oh Charlotte, you didn't have to. I don't deserve a friend like you. You are the BEST."

Charlotte laughed. "I hardly deserve such praise. You had your hands full, and you were in shock. I'm not sure that I would have managed half of what you did. It was easy to think of what you had missed, after you had already done the heavy-lifting."

"Did any of the waitstaff see you?"

"I don't think so…I felt…I heard _something_. I thought that someone was watching me, but I didn't see anything. I thought it was George…but I didn't see him anywhere about. You're not going to call the police, are you?"

"Too scared to. All we have is a wineglass with his prints on it. _And_ mine. George is right. Circumstantial at best, not to mention that _I'm_ the one who gave Darcy the wine. Literally nothing to go on. Besides, I don't know that Darcy would want to become embroiled in an investigation. We know he's an intensely private person, _and_ he has a history with George…if Darcy wants to go to the police, it's entirely his call to make."

"That's probably for the best…are you sure you want to leave before he wakes up properly?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have things to talk about."

"Things? What things?" Elizabeth was confused, and wondered if she should be reaching for that Red Bull sooner than later.

"Eliza! _Elizabeth!_ Darcy likes you! He's interested in you! This Richard guy thinks he's falling for you!" Elizabeth winced at the excitement in Charlotte's voice, but her friend continued heedless. "Don't you think you should stay and talk about it? I _knew_ he had a thing for you! At least there's a silver lining in this whole mess."

"Charlotte. Darcy was _drugged._ "

"That doesn't make anything he said untrue. Are you planning to just sneak out? Who's going to make sure he's okay?"

"I'm going to stay until he starts coming to, and then I'm hauling myself out of here faster than the speed of light. I'm going to call Jane in the morning. Give her the Cliff Notes version, and ask her to stick Charles on him. She can tell Charles that Darcy said he was feeling sick last night and left early, and she were wondering if he was okay. I've had three hours to plot this out. And yes, okay, maybe the drugs doesn't make anything he said untrue. It does, however, make it highly unlikely that Darcy would remember anything he said when he wakes up. And…oh _Charlotte!"_ Elizabeth felt tears threatening to spill over again, and needed to pull herself together before she resumed speaking. "Charlotte, I am _so_ ashamed of myself. I'm mortified. _I_ did this. _I_ did all of this!"

"No! _You_ didn't do anything. _GEORGE_ did. This is ALL him, not you."

"And _I_ gave him that opportunity. _I_ , so caught up in being offended and blind to everything and everyone around me. _I_ was too silly rescind the invite, too silly to see exactly how dangerous George was…"

" _None_ of us could have foreseen how dangerous he was."

"How can I face Darcy again? I acted like a high school tween. Too blind to see his interest, and too silly to recognise George for who he was. Do you honestly think that when Darcy wakes up, he's going to want to have anything to do with the woman who invited George to the gala as her date? The woman who was instrumental in getting him drugged? And that's mentioning nothing of the horror-show display mother and Lydia put on."

"Elizabeth, you're being way too hard on yourself. Okay, so you made a mistake in judging Darcy. There's no way you could have foreseen any of this. You're only human."

"It was more than one mistake, Charlotte. It was multiple, unforgivable mistakes. I…I can't. I'm humiliated. I am _mortified._ I have never been more ashamed of myself in my entire life. I can't bear to think of facing Darcy. Charlotte, what if Darcy had walked away? What if he had drunk that wine in front of Caroline? She'd have him marching down the aisle in the morning, if she didn't manage it during the window she had in the evening. Can you imagine all what could have happened to Darcy, because of me?" Elizabeth rushed on, knowing what Charlotte would interrupt with. "Yes, yes, yes. George. But there would be no _George_ , if there was not a very, very idiotic _Elizabeth."_

"Eliza, don't you like Darcy?" Charlotte asked quietly. "Deep down?"

"Charlotte, I don't think it matters anymore."


	13. No Big Deal

Chapter 13: No Big Deal

* * *

Elizabeth felt the bed dip, as someone sat down on the other end.

"Lizzy? I brought you some tea. You should drink something."

"How was…did you go with Charles?"

"No…I thought it would be awkward for Darcy, and well, for myself as well. Besides, I waned to come home and see how you were doing."

Elizabeth slowly sat up. "I'm doing okay. Wallowing in self-pity, but okay. Where's Charlotte?"

"She went out for dinner with the girls."

"I suppose Bill already drove mother home?"

Jane nodded. "You were asleep…"

Elizabeth smiled wryly. "Let me guess; she was upset that I didn't wake up to say goodbye. And that I was rude to her. And that I was still single and unsuccessful and all the usual."

"Oh, Lizzy, she's just set in her ways," Jane said, putting her arm around Elizabeth. "Are you okay?"

Elizabeth didn't answer the question. She toyed with the bedsheet for a while, wondering whether she should share what she had hitherto kept to herself. She looked up at her sister, and decided that given the events of the last 48 hours, harboring secrets would not be very safe.

Elizabeth reached for the tea and took a sip. "Jane, Darcy met you last year at the gala."

"What?" Jane started. "He told you this? I don't understand."

"He did tell me, before he got completely woozy and…well…you know. He had attended the gala last year. He remembers meeting you, having this conversation about your experience…your career as a ballerina. He said you were focussed. Focussed and…and driven."

"Nothing like what I am now," Jane said dully.

"He didn't say that!" Elizabeth paused, realising that she'd soon be lying just to make Jane feel better. "He said that you seemed different."

Jane was quiet for a while. Just as Elizabeth was beginning to worry, Jane spoke. "Does Charles know?"

"I didn't ask. I have no idea."

"Charles wants to meet tomorrow. He wants to _'talk'_. Maybe…"

"Jane, don't worry! Even _if_ Darcy has spoken to Charles, so what? It's just a misunderstanding. You've done nothing wrong, and Charles has no reason to be upset with you."

"I hope you're right," Jane said, with more than a hint of worry in her voice.

They sat in silence, each lost in thought.

"Lizzy, are you going to call Darcy?"

Elizabeth sighed. "And say what? Darcy, I'm so sorry that I am such a donkey that I ended up getting you all drugged up? That too by a man you have some unsavoury history with?"

"You're being too hard on yourself."

"No Jane, for once, I'm admitting to myself – and everyone else – that I made a _huge_ mistake. One I should not have made, because I should have been smarter. Known better. Just….ugh. I'm not sure that I'm ready to talk about this."

"But when Darcy…"

"I wrote him a letter. A handwritten, proper letter. Explaining everything, apologising…there's nothing more for me to say. And...I very much doubt that _Darcy_ would want to see _me_. Imagine how humiliating it would be for him."

"Humiliating?" Jane looked at her in confusion, and it was then that Elizabeth recalled that she had given a full breakdown of events to Charlotte, but Jane had only received a compressed version.

"Umm…when we were at the gala…when Darcy was drugged…he kind of let it slip that he…he may have been interested in me."

"Aaaah."

"You're not surprised," Elizabeth said.

Jane shrugged. "Charlotte and I had discussed the possibility when we came back from Netherfield. And Darcy was always so eager to join Charles and me if you were also going to be there…I just thought…it was a likely possibility. But why would he be humiliated?"

"Jane, wouldn't you be? Clearly, it wasn't something that Darcy had any intention of sharing with me. I don't know if he'd even remember everything that he said or did. And if he does remember, I wouldn't blame Darcy for wanting to rethink his choice in women with a modicum of privacy."

Jane frowned. "I want to disagree with you, but I can't. If I were Darcy, _I'd_ want my privacy. Which is not to say that I think he'll change his mind!"

Elizabeth squeezed Jane's hand. "Well, _I_ think he will. Or _should._ If I were him, I would go get my head my examined for falling for a woman so blind and stupid."

"Lizzy!"

"Jane. Darcy is a smart, successful man. He didn't get that way by repeating his mistakes. My bigger worry right now is what to do about George."

"You don't actually have any proof that George did anything, do you?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Not the slightest. Even those glasses are really quite meaningless without anything else."

"Where _are_ they?"

"On Darcy's bedside table; Charlotte brought them when she picked me up. I don't even know how she managed to get the keys to Bill's car."

Jane smiled, and squeezed Elizabeth's shoulder. "That's our Charlotte."

* * *

When Monday morning came around, Elizabeth found herself still unable to face the world, and decided to call in sick. Elizabeth wasn't normally given to self-pity and wallowing in misery, but she was confused and upset and knew that she needed more time, at the very least, to calm herself.

She hadn't seen Charlotte since their drive back from Darcy's place, but they had managed to exchange a few text messages. They just hadn't been awake and at home at the same time so far. Charlotte had offered to deal with Elizabeth's absence at the office, but Elizabeth had refused; Charlotte had done more than enough as it was. She managed to wake up early enough to send an email to the HR manager as well as Edward Gardiner.

Elizabeth felt unmoored. She had prided herself on her discernment, and her ability to read people and situations accurately. And yet, she had completely missed the danger that lay within George. Wanting Darcy to have liked her, and then somehow being oblivious to the fact that he _did_ like her…Elizabeth decided that she couldn't have been any stupider even if someone had given her a script.

She went swimming to clear her head, but was flooded with memories of Darcy instead.

She stared at her phone every ten minutes, but Darcy was the one person who didn't call, text, or email her.

Not that Elizabeth was waiting for him to contact her.

Nope.

Not at all.

When her phone buzzed shortly after lunch, Elizabeth lunged across the dinning room table.

Not that she was expecting a call from anyone special.

Not at all.

"Lizzy?"

"Oh. Hi Jane. What's up?"

"Lizzy…are you at home?"

"I am…Jane, you don't sound okay. What happened?"

"Nothing. I mean, yes, something happened. I'll just…I'm coming home right now. I'll speak to you then."

"Jane? _Jane?"_ Elizabeth was speaking to dead air, because Jane had already kept the phone.

There was nothing to do but wait. Now that Jane was expected home any moment, Elizabeth did not even have the luxury of going out for a walk, to work off her anxiety. She telephoned Charlotte, but the call went straight to voicemail. Elizabeth thought of calling the office, but then decided that it would look suspicious for her to be calling in after taking the day off feigning illness.

It did not take long for Jane to arrive home. Jane looked like she had seen a ghost, so blank was her stare, and so robotic her movements.

" _Jane!_ What happened? Ae you okay?" Worried at how her sister was presenting, Elizabeth helped her onto a chair. Jane moved like a doll, completely under Elizabeth's guidance, and she felt a brief wave of nausea thinking about how similar Jane's movements were to what Darcy's had been at one point.

"Can I get you something? Water? Tea? Shall I make some hot chocolate?"

Jane stared at her for a moment, before laughing an angry laugh. "Oh, I think I'm beyond the _Nice Jane_ drinks. Make me one of those gin and tonics that you like to drink. Or maybe just the gin. Hold the tonic."

"Jane, you're scaring me. What happened?"

"What happened? Nothing much. Charles decided that _my_ career could play second fiddle to _his_ , you know, because I've been so _'disinterested'_ ," and here Jane started making air quotes, "and _'blah'_ and _'seemingly bored'_ with my own. I might have lost my temper, and told Charles that if I seemed disinterested, maybe it was because _he_ was disinterested in my career and his sisters were downright awful about it and I was downplaying what they all so obviously saw as a deficiency in me. I might have told him that I knew what I wanted to do from the time I was six years old. That by the time I was sixteen, I had already _started_ my career, unlike him, who hadn't even graduated high school at that point, let alone law school. I _might_ have called his sisters _'toxic'_." Jane buried her face in her hands. "I can't even remember everything I said anymore! But I definitely remember that we broke up. Definitively, unequivocally broke up."

At that point, Jane collapsed into Elizabeth's arms, bursting into tears.

* * *

Elizabeth's head was throbbing so bad that she was certain that if she touched her skull, she'd feel a large crack somewhere.

It had been hours. Jane had worked herself up completely, alternately sobbing and mumbling incoherently to angrily decrying all things (and people) Bingley. Elizabeth had managed to mostly infer the sequence of events that had taken place: the International Trade Union Confederation had made some type of job offer asking Charles to come work for them for 6 months in Brussels, to help prepare for their next global meeting or congress or _something_ on collective bargaining. It seemed that Kleinman Fitzwilliam had been happy to allow Charles to take a leave of absence to take up that opportunity. Charles had asked Jane to uproot herself and join him in Brussels. And then all hell had broken loose.

Jane didn't have to tell her; Elizabeth knew instinctively that Jane must have also witnessed the embarrassing display put on by their family at the gala. The stress and shame of it _must_ have been weighing down on Jane – in fact, Elizabeth would have bet dollars to dimes that Caroline would have made at least one snide remark to Jane at the gala.

For the first time, Elizabeth saw the effort it took to actually _be_ Jane. To be nice to everyone, to believe the best in everyone, to smother your own wants and needs and desires to put everyone else before you. To never be the number one for your mother or father or boyfriend no matter how hard she tried. How painful it was to bury the hurt and insecurity deep inside, until something finally broke.

But it wasn't just Jane that upset her; Elizabeth hadn't heard from Charlotte for the entire day. Charlotte should have been home hours ago; there was no call, no text, no email. She didn't respond to Elizabeth at all, and eventually Charlotte's phone had been switched off. When Jane had sufficiently calmed down, Elizabeth gently raised the issue of Charlotte, and being worried about this decidedly un-Charlotte like behaviour. No matter what Jane was going through, Jane was still in essence Jane, and she immediately focussed her attention on Charlotte.

It was close to 10:00 p.m., and the panicked Bennett sisters were contemplating calling hospitals or the police when they heard the doorbell. Elizabeth rushed to open the door with Jane close on her heels; they found a completely inebriated Charlotte, leaning heavily on a gentleman both sisters assumed to be a cab driver.

"This her house?" the driver asked.

"Oh goodness! Yes! Yes. Thank you so much!" Elizabeth helped Charlotte onto the sofa while Jane paid the driver.

"Charlotte? What…are you…"

"Ach…ach…you know the other thing? Not astrology but…?"

Elizabeth and Jane stared at each other, and then at Charlotte.

"Astronomy?" Elizabeth offered.

"Astrophysics?" Jane asked.

"This first one. What she said," Charlotte mumbled, wagging a finger at Elizabeth. "In astro…whatever. When you wish on a star. You're late. Millions and billions and gajillions of years late. You know whyyyyyy?"

Elizabeth gulped.

Charlotte continued. "Because that star is dead! Dead. Dead. Dead! Dead, just like your dreams! Dead. Because you're late!"

This sounded nothing like Charlotte, and Elizabeth knew that something truly terrible had happened. Her awful, awful weekend had spread to first envelope Jane, and now Charlotte. She put her arm around Charlotte. "Sweetheart, please tell us what's wrong. Please let us help. Tell us what happened."

Jane came and sat at Charlotte's feet, and put her hand on Charlotte's knee, squeezing it encouragingly.

"Happened?" Charlotte laughed in a rather unhinged manner. "Nothing happened. Oh, except that Caroline saw me taking two glasses at the gala. _Stealing._ No big deal. She just reported me to HR – ironic right? My _own_ department!" Again, Charlotte maniacally. "She said it reflected badly on the firm to have an employee engage in theft. Even if it was untreated kleptomania. Apparently, she also lost a few things when we were…when _I_ was at her precious …cabin-cottage-thing place."

Elizabeth gaped at Charlotte, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. Jane looked green.

"They asked. I couldn't lie. I admitted I took the glasses. I…whatever. I couldn't tell them why without dragging everyone into it. At the end, it would end up being Eliza drugging Darcy and my hiding the evidence. George is probably halfway to South America by now."

"Charlotte! Charlotte, no! _No no no no no!"_

"Whatever. They made a generous offer for me to leave without tainting the firm's reputation any further. So I left. I might have stopped in a bar - or ten - on my way home. No harm tainting my own reputation. No big deal."


	14. Road Trip

Chapter 14: Road Trip

* * *

Jane looked up hopefully, as Elizabeth entered the kitchen. Jane being Jane however, managed to give priority to precautions before curiosity. "Is Charlotte still asleep?"

"I poked my head in, and she still seemed to be fast asleep. She'll wake up sooner than later though, I reckon. She's had no dinner, no breakfast, and probably no fluids that she actually needs."

"Any luck with Edward?"

Elizabeth slumped down into the armchair. "I _hate_ it when other people make as much, or more sense than me."

"Oh no, what happened?"

"He asked me how he was supposed to intervene when Charlotte admitted to at least one of the thefts she's been accused of. Even if Edward could somehow tell the firm that Charlotte did what she did under some type of duress that she isn't able to make public, how can we explain the other accusation? _Even_ if we were to assume that Caroline's word was equivalent to Charlotte's on a good day, we're now very, very far from a good day. Charlotte admitted to stealing."

"Caroline would have to take back exactly half of what she said," Jane said dully.

"Is it too early to start drinking?" Elizabeth asked. Tuesday had seen all three of them stay at home, and Elizabeth for one felt that the situation warranted day drinking.

"We need to do something," Jane said, ignoring Elizabeth's question.

"I told Edward that I'd likely be tendering my resignation."

"Lizzy. We need to do something _other_ than standing firm on our morals. How does _both_ of you losing your jobs help the situation?"

"Jane, come on. I'm not going to stay there while they treat Charlotte like this. I'll find another job. I'll take up waitressing. Bartending. Back to retail. Whatever. What's important is to show solidarity with Charlotte. Charlotte needs to know that I'm not going to be off furthering my career while she had to sacrifice hers because of me."

" _Not_ because of you."

"A distinction without a difference."

Both sisters fell silent. Elizabeth watched listlessly as Jane went to start preparing lunch.

"We need to do something. _I_ need to do something. I can't just…"

"Caroline."

Elizabeth looked at Jane blankly. "What about her?"

"If someone could convince Caroline to take back exactly half of her accusations, you and Charlotte could tell Edward the truth about the glasses. You wouldn't have to quit, and Charlotte would get her job back!"

"Jane…none of us are people Caroline would remotely consider listening to."

"She'd listen to her brother...maybe. It's worth a try. I just need to swallow my pride."

"Jane," Elizabeth said gently, "didn't you tell Charles that his sisters were _'toxic'_? You can't really go and ask him to now call in a favour with Caroline, can you? And this is without even considering everything else between you and Charles."

"I know, but you're right. We need to do something."

"Jane, sweetie, _I_ need to do something. After abusing his sisters to his face, how can _you_ possibly go and ask Charles for help?"

Jane's shoulders fell. "I know, but…maybe if you spoke to Charles instead…"

"I don't think _any_ of us speaking to Charles is going to help. Besides which, I'm not sure that Caroline would listen to Charles. Or to…" Elizabeth fell silent, as the vague outlines of an idea started to take place.

Jane no longer had the capacity to wait patiently. "Lizzy? Lizzy, what are you thinking? Elizabeth, talk to me!"

"Caroline would listen to Darcy. Of all the people on the planet, he is the _one_ person to whom she would agree with, no questions asked."

Jane stared at her. "But…Lizzy…things between you…everything is so…"

"Messed up?"

"I was going for awkward."

"Well. Never let it be said that Elizabeth Bennett is not willing to try to fix things. I'm going to go call Darcy."

"You have his number?" Jane asked, surprised.

"No, because I'm not smart like that. I do, however, have his office number. Wish me luck!"

* * *

When Elizabeth re-entered the kitchen, she found Charlotte seated at the counter, nursing an orange juice.

"Hey, Charlotte, how are you feeling?"

Charlotte mumbled something before looking up. "Jane said you were calling Darcy," she said.

At the same time, Jane spoke. "What did he say? When are you seeing him?"

"I'm _not_. He's on vacation."

"What?!"

"Jane, please. My head. A little quieter, if you could," Charlotte grumbled. She looked at Elizabeth with more than a hint of sadness. "So, no Darcy then?"

Elizabeth wasn't sure how much Jane had told Charlotte; Elizabeth wasn't keen on giving Charlotte false hope. With Charlotte looking directly at her, Elizabeth was hardly in a position to be giving Jane any questioning looks. She decided to play it by ear.

"His wonderful assistant – Matthew - told me that Darcy was away on vacation."

"Oh no," Jane said, with genuine sadness. "I…I suppose what with all that has happened, he needed to take some time off. I'm so sorry Lizzy; I fully expected…well, it doesn't matter now. I suppose it's too late now for you to try and reach out to Darcy."

Charlotte laid her head down on the counter, mumbling something.

"Oh, but you're wrong, Jane. I haven't given up just yet."

Charlotte turned her head – still on the counter - to look at Elizabeth curiously, while Jane frowned.

"Matthew didn't exactly say that Darcy was on vacation. He said that Darcy was _'with his family, and not expected back for at least a week'_. And, as far as I know, Darcy's family consists of the judge who hired Bill, and Darcy's sister."

"Lizzy…I'm not sure I follow."

"I'm going to go find Darcy. Wherever he is," Elizabeth stated, with new-found determination.

Jane stared at her, mouth agape. "Excuse me?"

"This conversation is _way_ too loud for my liking, and yet I'm hooked," Charlotte said, slowly siting up.

Elizabeth smiled grimly. "Oh, you know the know story about going to the mountain if it won't come to you. George," Elizabeth grimaced just mentioning his name, "had said that Darcy was from Pemberley. I looked it up; Pemberley is an estate in Derbyshire that's a three-hour train ride from here. It's his family home, I think, since his parents' names came up as well. A simple phone call to Bill will let me know if Darcy is anywhere near his aunt…so I'm going to go find Darcy."

"But…what about your job?"

"Well, firstly summer is over, so I'm down to being part-time…and Edward said I could take two weeks off, especially since I worked right through summer. Secondly, if the firm has a problem, screw 'em. There's always retail! Thirdly, somethings are just more important than a job. Especially _this_ job."

"What about class?"

"It's just a week…or less. The class recordings are uploaded within 24 hours, so I'm just going have to buckle down and study remotely. It's just a week or less," Elizabeth repeated.

"I'm coming with you," Charlotte declared, sitting up, and now fully alert.

"Wait, what?" Elizabeth asked, not at all expecting this.

Charlotte shrugged. "I have neither job nor classes to attend. I'll come with you. Road trip. Side-kick. Sounding board."

Jane continued stare.

"Uh-huh," Elizabeth said. She couldn't as well refuse Charlotte. "Okay then. I'm going to go call mother, get Bill's number, and then find out if Darcy is there. First available train, we're off."

Charlotte clambered off her chair. "Why don't I call Bill? He'll be more open to giving me answers."

"Probably a good idea," Elizabeth said. "What did you tell her?" she whispered to Jane, as soon as Charlotte was safely back in her room.

"Only that you wanted to talk to Darcy to _'fix'_ things. I didn't tell her that it was actually about getting her job back."

"Oh."

"Lizzy, do you really think this is a good idea? What if Darcy isn't even there?"

"I have to do something, Jane. If Darcy isn't there, then…I'll come up with something then."

"Why don't you just email him? You _do_ have his email."

"Because if he's understandably furious with me, he just won't reply and then I can't beg for help."

"I doubt very much that he's furious with you," Jane said dubiously.

Elizabeth scoffed. "I would be, if I were him. If nothing else, Charlotte will get a change of scenery."

"And if your plan works, she'll get her job back."

"Darcy, I'm counting on you to be reasonable!" Elizabeth said out loud.

"He's not with his aunt. Next train to Derbyshire leaves in little over two hours," Charlotte announced, walking back into the kitchen.

"I'll help you guys pack," Jane said.

* * *

"I found us a nice B&B," Charlotte said, typing away on her laptop.

Elizabeth nodded. "Charlotte. _Charlotte,"_ she repeated, until Charlotte looked up at her. "I'm sorry."

"For what? I _want_ to come on this road trip!"

"Not that, Char. You got fired because of me. My idiocy, and George, and the glasses, and…everything was going so well for you…and…I ruined it. I mean, okay, Caroline did, but you would never, _ever,_ have been put in that position if not for me. Charlotte, I can't articulate how sorry I am. You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and you're _such_ an amazing person. You deserved better from everyone, but especially from me. I promise you, I'm going to make things okay for you. Somehow. I don't know how yet, but _somehow."_

"Elizabeth, you know I don't blame you. I'm…I had this coming. Using you to say the things I never had the guts to say. Making you put Caroline in her place because I didn't have the balls to. Being a damn wuss was going to come and bite me in the ass one day. I knew that. I just never thought it would be like _this_. But it's not your fault. None of this is your fault. Caroline. George. They're the ones to blame."

"Charlotte, do _not_ put yourself down like that! You're not a wuss! You've always been mature and helpful and diplomatic. Not being brash like me is a _good_ thing."

"But had I been more honest, and worn a mask less often, Caroline would have respected me more, and feared me more. She wouldn't have accused me of being a thief if she ever worried that I would turn around and bite back. She took the risk because she knew I'd roll over and play dead. Which I did, true to script."

"Charlotte…"

"It's okay. Maybe this is what I needed. To become a better version of myself. Or something like that. If we weren't inside a train, I'd go and get drunk again."

Elizabeth reached over to hug Charlotte. It was awkward positioning, but Charlotte hugged her back with all the strength she had.

"I imagine Caroline growing old, fifteen cats to her name, Botox, bright red lipstick, and a hoarder. Because she won't have any humans around her," Charlotte said, smiling at her.

Elizabeth smiled back. "As punishment, I want half her cats."

"And half her hoard!" Charlotte added.

Elizabeth grinned. "And I'm not talking one out of every two. I mean half, King Solomon style. One half of whatever she is hoarding. And one half of each of her cats."

"Gruesome! I love it!" Charlotte said, laughing.

Even though she still hadn't come up with any sort of plan on how to find Darcy or what to tell him, for the first time since the gala, Elizabeth began to feel some hope.


	15. An Accidental Meeting

Chapter 15: An "Accidental" Meeting

* * *

"I'm sure people here know where Darcy's house is," Charlotte stated.

"That's quite likely true, but it's not as if I can just walk up and knock on his door. I need to engineer an accidental meeting," Elizabeth replied.

"With all that money, it's not very likely that he'll be running into coffee shops come morning," Charlotte mused.

"That, and he doesn't drink coffee." Elizabeth regretted speaking the moment the words were out.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"He drank tea at Netherfield. And he had tea at his place, not coffee. It's not a big deal that I know this."

"Hmmmm. Whatever you say."

Elizabeth waited, but Charlotte remained resolutely silent. "Do you want to have breakfast here? I thought we might have some luck if we went into town to get something to eat. They have bicycles here that we can rent."

"It's going to be cold, cycling about in this weather. But I suppose we have no real choice in the matter. Where were you thinking?"

Elizabeth passed over the laptop to Charlotte. "It's the most upscale place I could find near Darcy's place."

"You found out where he lives?" Charlotte looked at her in surprise.

"Not exactly. I found out that his family – or maybe it's his – anyway, they own Pemberley Stables, where you can rent horses, or, they'll keep your own horse there for you. It _has_ to be at least close enough to the family property. It's so random that it has to be."

"Pity neither of us took an equestrian turn."

"We could take lessons…" Elizabeth said slowly. "They offer those touristy beginner's lessons. Darcy's not running around the city on horseback. I can only imagine that if he's here, he'll make use of the opportunity."

"Well, it's the only plan we have, so it's worth a shot!"

* * *

Elizabeth found their first day in Derbyshir to be almost entirely useless and frustrating in equal measure, in direct contrast to Charlotte's experience. They booked equestrian lessons not once, but twice for the day, without running into anyone bearing the surname Fitzwilliam. They travelled all over the town, visiting almost all the stores, and again, managed to not run into anyone bearing a passing resemblance to Darcy.

However, they ran into many, many locals who were more than happy to speak about the Fitzwilliams. Everyone waxed eloquent about the family, about the charming younger sister Georgiana and the kind older brother Darcy, and Elizabeth could only sit in silent amazement at how popular Darcy was amongst the locals. Charlotte even ventured to ask about George, and was met with either stony silence, or decidedly negative feedback. Some of the older folk went as far as to warn both of them to stay away from George. If only she had received that advice a week ago, Elizabeth thought grimly.

By the time the second day rolled around, Elizabeth was ready to give up on her harebrained plan.

Charlotte, however, was not.

"I think we should go to the stables again."

"Whatever for?" Elizabeth frowned, and decided not to mention how expensive the lessons of the previous day had been. "We didn't get any closer to Darcy yesterday, and we were there _twice._ I don't think we're going to get any luckier today."

Charlotte just smiled serenely. "I feel our luck is about to change. I think we should go there today."

"Why? Did you hear something?"

"It's just a feeling I have."

Dubious as she was about Charlotte's 'feeling', Elizabeth didn't see the harm in humouring her. Of course, it was going to deplete her funds, but Elizabeth had always known that this hit-or-miss idea was going to be expensive.

"Maybe I should bite the bullet and send Darcy an email. Tell him I'm here or something. He probably won't answer…but it's the only thing left to do," Elizabeth mused aloud.

"Hmmm…how about we go grab breakfast, go riding, see what turns up? If by the afternoon we've had no luck whatsoever, let's revisit the email idea. I liked learning to ride. I think we'll have fun. This I actually turning out to be a really nice holiday!"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at Charlotte's enthusiasm at seemingly nothing, but she went along with it. Anything to see Charlotte excited and smiling.

Thus, off to breakfast they went, with Charlotte being more chipper than the circumstances warranted. She was equally energetic after breakfast, and didn't complain once about cycling in colder weather. Hours later, it occurred to Elizabeth that she should have been on guard, and that she should have suspected that Charlotte had something up her sleeve. As it was, hindsight was 20/20, and Elizabeth wasn't blessed with foreknowledge.

Charlotte insisted on handling the registration at the stables, so Elizabeth wandered off, taking in the green space and the fresh country air. She was loath to email Darcy. She could not imagine him responding. Now that she had had a few days to settle down, she was wondering about how wise it had been to write a letter instead of waiting to speak to Darcy when he was conscious. It had seemed like the best idea at the time, especially given how overwhelmed she had felt, but in retrospect, Elizabeth could not help questioning most of her actions.

Of course, Charlotte was thinking that Elizabeth wanted to reach out to Darcy to 'fix' things, because that was the story Jane had told her. Now that she was considering the only option left, which was an email, Elizabeth realised that she had no real way of raising the issue of Caroline and Charlotte. Had she 'accidentally' run into Darcy, it would have been a slightly different matter, even though Elizabeth had to admit that she had no real workable plan either way.

With all these thoughts swirling in her head, Elizabeth had to admit later on that she had genuinely been distracted. Had her wits been about her, she would have caught on to what Charlotte was doing. For what it was worth, she managed to stay atop the horse throughout the lesson, despite of all of Charlotte's shenanigans. When the lesson was over, Charlotte insisted that she stay on the horse for some photos. Charlotte came, adjusting Elizabeth's position over and over, and loosened the helmet, tilting it slightly saying that Elizabeth's face couldn't be seen, and paid no heed to the protests of the instructor. Elizabeth tried to move herself back into the position she was in, but, she was both unsuccessful and too late. For some inexplicable reason, Charlotte took a photo with no warning, with an entirely unnecessary flash, _and_ with her phone set to some ridiculously loud sound.

The horse spooked, and Elizabeth found herself on the ground in a trice, staring up at the big, startled eyes of the horse.

Charlotte and the instructor were beside her in seconds, helping her up off the ground.

"Slur your speech," Charlotte hissed at her.

"Huh?" Elizabeth said.

"Do you think she could have a concussion?" Charlotte asked the instructor. "I'm _sooo_ sorry about this!"

"I don't – aaaaah!" In the face of that sharp pinch from Charlotte, Elizabeth wasn't able to finish her sentence.

"Eliza, are you okay?" Charlotte practically shouted into her ear.

"Aaah!" Elizabeth yelped, holding her ear.

"Are your ears ringing?"

"Charlotte, what are you _doing?_ "

"She seems confused," the instructor noted, and Charlotte nodded seriously.

Soon, Elizabeth found herself alone with Charlotte, while the instructor went to call help.

"You're so slow on the uptake!" Charlotte hissed. "Walk slowly, walk unsteadily, say your ears are ringing, slur your speech. Fake a bit of dizziness!"

"Charlotte, what the –"

"Eliza, _just do what I say._ This is going to work, trust me."

Unwilling to fake a concussion, but more unwilling to not follow Charlotte's directions, Elizabeth did as she was told. However, she drew the line at going to the hospital to have a battery of tests performed on her, and surprisingly, Charlotte agreed. In fact, Charlotte made a great show of saying how she'd watch Elizabeth and immediately seek medical attention if Elizabeth seemed worse. In fact, Charlotte was _more_ insistent than Elizabeth they didn't need to go to the hospital, and that what they needed to do was head back to the B&B that they were staying at. She even promised to come back later to collect the bicycles, and called them a cab.

When they were finally alone at the B&B, Elizabeth turned to Charlotte. "What the _hell_ was that about? I don't want Darcy's money for an accident that we set up."

Charlotte grinned. "Not _'we'. Me._ Anyway, this isn't about money. Dollars to dimes, given that Darcy is in town, he's going to go riding today or tomorrow. Sooo…if the manager hasn't already informed him that two guests came, one had a fall, seemed unwell but refused medical attention and went on their merry way, Darcy will at least hear about it when he goes there for his own activity. They know our names, and where we're staying. Darcy is _not_ going to think that there's _two_ pairs of Charlotte Lucas and Elizabeth Bennetts in the same part of the country. He's going to be concerned. He's going to come here. Oh, don't look at me like that. I padded your helmet before I gave it to you. Falling five or six feet never hurt anyone in a serious way."

"Oh. My… _Charlotte!_ You can't…You…"

"You devious little thing? I know. Now, listen to me. I know you think you know best, but sometimes, my way is just easier. And better. When Darcy comes…"

" _IF_ Darcy comes," Elizabeth growled.

"Fine, _if_ Darcy comes, all you have to do is say that you have a headache. No other lying required."

"I already have a headache," Elizabeth muttered.

"Excellent! See, now you don't have to lie!"

"Charlotte! This is ridiculous. You know that this is a stunt worthy of my mother."

"In which case we don't give her enough credit. Will you put your headphones and listen to some really awful, really loud music? I think a real headache will seem more natural."

"I think you need to have your head examined. Jane would be horrified."

"Jane knew that I was better suited for this trip than her."

Elizabeth _was_ really beginning to feel the onset of a headache. She was furious with Charlotte, but she also couldn't blame Charlotte for taking matters into her own hands, even though her means left much to be desired. She was afraid that Darcy wouldn't turn up, was equally afraid that he would, while she simultaneously told herself that it was a certainty that he wouldn't.

Charlotte forcibly made her listen to some truly atrocious music, and then kept yammering nonsense until a mammoth headache made an appearance in full force. She begged Charlotte to let her sleep, and Charlotte finally ceased chattering away, but woke Elizabeth up twenty or thirty minutes into her nap. Try as she might, Elizabeth couldn't fall back to sleep successfully.

She finally sat up in bed, glaring at Charlotte. "We're going back home _right_ now."

"There are no trains."

"We're leaving on the next train available."

"Weren't you going to draft an email?"

" _Charlotte!_ This is –"

A knock on their door interrupted her. Charlotte did her best flying squirrel impression as she leapt to the door from the bed in one jump. Outside stood Mrs. Reynolds, the owner of the B&B, looking animated.

"Girls, Darcy Fitzwilliam is here to see you! I had no idea that you both knew him! He's waiting in the living room downstairs, I told him I'd come up and call you."

"Oh, he's here?" Charlotte asked, feigning surprise and earning a glare from Elizabeth. "He can come up."

"Absolutely not!" Elizabeth yelped. "Are you _crazy_ , inviting Darcy up here?"

"She's been so irritable since the fall today," Charlotte told Mrs. Reynolds. "Thanks so much for letting us know, can you tell Darcy that we'll be downstairs in a second? Eliza, you said he likes tea, right? Mrs. Reynolds, could you maybe get Darcy some tea while he waits?"

"Of course," Mrs. Reynolds said, and then she looked at Elizabeth. "Don't worry my dear, I think it's charming that you feel shy." She smiled and left the room.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Kill me now."

"Later, Eliza, later," Charlotte said, tousling Elizabeth's hair so that it became even messier. "Darcy's downstairs, and I'm going to go speak to him. Just remember, the longer you take to come down, the longer I'll be filling his head with nonsense. Hurry up!"

"Charlotte!"

It was too late. Elizabeth could hear Charlotte bounding down the stairs. Sighing, Elizabeth got off the bed, and made her way to the mirror. She did _not_ look good, and Charlotte had done her no favours, messing up her already sleep-tussled hair. She grimaced, wondering at what Darcy would make of her appearance. She ran a comb through her hair briefly, trying to make it look at least presentable, before giving up and pulling it all back in a ponytail. The improvement to her look was miniscule. Sighing, Elizabeth made her way downstairs, and as she reached the living room, she could hear Darcy and Charlotte speaking quietly, though she couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Elizabeth!" Darcy stood up as soon as he saw her. He seemed embarrassed. "I…I didn't know you were here. I was just telling Charlotte that I just heard that you were both here, and that you had fallen off Poppy."

"Pop…right, the horse," Elizabeth said. She was nervous and anxious, and seeing Darcy embarrassed also induced embarrassment in her. She became flustered, realising that every stutter and misstep would only help Charlotte's scheme of convincing everyone that she wasn't well.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? If that's too far, we have a walk-in clinic about a ten-minute drive from here. Jason – at the stable – said that you insisted you didn't –"

"I made some tea for everyone," Mrs. Reynolds said, walking in. "The girls said you preferred tea," she continued, but was looking not so much at 'the girls' as she was at Elizabeth. Darcy intently examined the top of his shoes.

Elizabeth sank into the sofa, rubbing her temples. If one could die of embarrassment, surely her death was imminent.

"Head still hurts?" Charlotte asked guilelessly.

"I'm fine," Elizabeth snapped, a little too quickly, and regretted it immediately. "I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"It's fine," Charlotte said quickly, and gave Darcy a knowing look that wasn't lost on Elizabeth. She was certain that Charlotte had probably told him that Elizabeth had been irritable since the fall, and now she was giving truth to Charlotte's lie.

Mrs. Reynold seemed to disappear after quietly pouring everyone their tea.

"Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor?"

"Elizabeth was saying that she wants to go home on the next available train."

Darcy looked horrified. "I'm not sure spending three hours on a train isn't the best course of action after falling off a horse."

Charlotte shrugged, as if to say _'that's what I told her'._

"I'm fine, _really._ It's just a headache. It wasn't a bad fall. I'm _fine._ "

"But you have a headache, you're irritable, and Jason said that your ears were ringing. You could have a concussion," Darcy said gravely.

"I've had headaches before. That's all this is."

"I…" Darcy paused. "If you insist on going home, then I'll drive you both. You certainly cannot take the train."

"Are you crazy?" Elizabeth spluttered. "Why should you be driving us anywhere? I'm fine, the train is fine, everything is _fine_."

"You fell at my stable," Darcy said, looking away. "I'm responsible."

"That's crazy. I fell because we were being idiots," Elizabeth replied, looking pointedly at Charlotte. She sighed. There was no way she would get Darcy off her back like this. "I wasn't serious about going back on the next train anyway. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. And if I'm not, Charlotte will take me to that clinic you mentioned. Right Charlotte?" Elizabeth asked, willing Charlotte to become cooperative.

"Of course!" Charlotte said, smiling.

Darcy looked at both of them his expression inscrutable. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you?"

Elizabeth frowned in confusion. Was he…

"No…" Charlotte said hesitantly, sounding as confused as Elizabeth felt.

Darcy nodded. "Why don't you both come and stay at Pemberley? There's enough space, and if you feel worse, it'll be much easier to get help from there than from here…I know Mrs. Reynolds, and while she's wonderful, she doesn't drive at night."

For the first time that day, even Charlotte's surprise seemed genuine.

"Darcy, that's completely unnecessary. I'm absolutely fine, and we couldn't possibly impose like that."

Darcy waved his hand, dismissing what she said even before the sentence was complete. "It's no imposition at all. Mrs. Reynolds will also just worry all night. My sister Georgiana…she's at Pemberley, and I called her as soon as I found out that you were here and had fallen. She's terribly worried as well, and felt that you would be much more comfortable at home. We'd all feel much better if you both came and stayed with us. And my cousin is also staying with us, so everyone was already prepared for guests. Does your sister know you fell? I'm sure Jane would agree with me that you should come to Pemberley."

"But Darcy…"

"And this is a B&B…you'd both have to go out for dinner anyway, and you don't drive. Staying here is neither safe nor convenient for either of you, and you're just going to make everyone worry if you insist on staying here. Why don't you both go pack?" With that, Darcy walked away from both Charlotte and Elizabeth. "Mrs. Reynolds? Mrs. Reynolds, I brought the bicycles and leaned them against the side wall, would you like me to move them somewhere else?"

Elizabeth stared at Darcy, who was now calmly sipping his tea and chatting with Mrs. Reynolds about _bicycles_.

"Charlotte, we can't go and stay with Darcy!"

"And yet, it looks like we are. He's right you know, if something happened…"

"You _know_ I don't have a concussion."

" _He_ dosn't know that."

Elizabeth sighed. She had come here in search of Darcy, to ask him to help Charlotte. And now, an opportunity even better than what Charlotte had planned and fallen into their lap. Yes, she was going to be supremely uncomfortable, but all things considered, it was a small price to pay to make things right for Charlotte.

"I guess we should go pack," Elizabeth said.


	16. A Disquieting Suspicion

**Chapter 16: A Disquieting Suspicion**

* * *

The ride to Pemberley was quiet. Charlotte chose to sit in the front with Darcy, for which Elizabeth was grateful. She was dying to ask Darcy how he was, but knew that such a conversation necessarily had to wait for a more private setting. As it was, Darcy and Charlotte spoke about trains and horses. Elizabeth drifted in and out, as she tried to plan her next move.

It wasn't a very long drive, but the autumn weather meant that darkness came much earlier. Elizabeth couldn't see much of her surroundings. "Mrs. Reynolds said that Pemberley…the grounds…were beautiful. I wish there was still a bit more light outside."

"We're supposed to be having an early winter this year, if you believe the Farmer's Almanac. Normally it doesn't get this cold or dark so early in autumn," Darcy said. "If you're feeling better in the morning, maybe you both would like to have a look around."

"That would be lovely, thank you. I just need to catch up on a lecture in the morning, but we hadn't made any plans," Elizabeth replied. If Darcy wondered why she was gallivanting around the countryside when she had classes, he had the good grace to not ask.

As they came up the driveway, Elizabeth heard Charlotte mutter something, and she soon realised why. Pemberley was not a house. It could not even be described as a very large house. It was a manor. Or a mansion. Or some other synonym to describe a massive residence. House just was _not_ the appropriate word.

She also noticed someone seated on the steps. As the car drew to a stop, the figure sprung up, and came running down. Elizabeth recognised her from Darcy's photos; this was Georgiana. As soon as they all got out of the car, Georgiana smiled, but hung back shyly. Elizabeth decided to wait for Darcy to do the introductions; she didn't want to scare her hostess by seeming too forward, and her own headache also helped slow her down.

George had at least been right about one thing; Georgiana was stunning. She looked even better in real life than she did in the photographs. Elizabeth couldn't be quite sure in the evening light, as well she had nothing but some photographs as a point of comparison, but it seemed as if Georgiana had lost some weight – her face seemed thinner than what Elizabeth recalled.

"Georgie, you weren't waiting out here all this time, were you?" Darcy asked, and received a shake of the head as a response. "This is my sister, Georgiana. As you can see, she was _very_ excited at the thought of both you coming to stay," Darcy said. "Georgiana, this is Elizabeth and Charlotte."

Georgiana beamed. "I'm so glad to meet you. I was so excited when Darcy texted to say that you were going to stay here! Our cousin Richard is staying with us too, but he had to leave on some urgent work – he said he'd be back only tomorrow…oh, Elizabeth, how are you feeling? I hope the fall wasn't too bad? Did you get back on Poppy right after?" Georgiana rattled off, staying rooted to the spot.

"Maybe you can take Elizabeth and Charlotte inside," Darcy said gently to his sister, "show them to their rooms? I'm sure they'd both like to relax before dinner."

"You're not coming?" Georgiana asked in surprise, as Darcy made no move to walk up the stairs with them. Elizabeth was glad that Georgiana had voiced the question; she herself was wondering why Darcy was heading back towards the car, but had not been able to ask the question herself.

"I'll have the bags sent up. I have to go park, and then I _must_ call Richard."

Brother and sister exchanged a dark look that wasn't missed by either Elizabeth or Charlotte. Darcy got inside the car, and Georgiana gave her head a noticeable shake before she smiled again, and took Elizabeth and Charlotte inside. Elizabeth wondered what was going on behind the scenes.

They stepped in, and the place looked as massive on the inside as it did on the outside. It occurred to Elizabeth for the first time that Pemberley must have a fair amount of servants to manage its upkeep. She would have delighted in the opportunity to explore the house, but Georgiana took them upstairs immediately.

"I wanted to give you rooms close to mine, but Darcy insisted that you both should have adjoining rooms…he said it made most sense because you were sick," Georgiana explained ruefully, as she took them down a hallway.

Elizabeth laughed. "I have no doubt that Darcy wants everything just so. I don't think I've met anyone as particular as he is."

"I'm sure he meant well…that is…" Georgiana looked worried, and started stammering.

"Oh, don't worry, I was just teasing. It makes sense for us to have adjoining rooms," Elizabeth said. "We went to Netherfield with Darcy once, and he had everything planned, from the route to the shopping to the food to the rooms. That was just a poor attempt at a joke."

Georgiana smiled in relief. "I know, he told me all about that trip! I wish I had been there. But I'm _so_ glad that you're both here, because I've been _dying_ to meet you," she said excitedly. "And here we are! The rooms have an adjoining bathroom, and I'm not sure who would like which room." Georgiana led them inside one large guest room, and quickly showed them the bathroom that it shared with the other large room. "I stocked it with toiletries, but if you want a different brand or something, just let me know. Oh, and here's the first aid kit, and there's a thermometer and some Advil, and if you need something stronger, you have to ask Darcy because I'm not allo – " Georgiana stopped herself in the nick of time, although it was easy to imagine how that sentence would have ended. "Darcy's in charge of all the meds."

There was a slight cough, and they turned to see a man standing at the door of one the rooms with the bags. Georgiana skipped over to speak to him, and in that moment, she seemed like a teenager, even though she must have been at least nineteen or twenty.

"I should let you both settle in and relax," Georgiana said, and Elizabeth suspected that the bag-carrier had come in with that particular message from brother to sister. Georgiana walked over to a small desk in the room, and jotted down something on a piece of paper. "Here's our numbers in case you need something. You can just text me. Or Darcy. I'll come by a little before dinner." With a little wave, Georgiana left.

Charlotte went and closed the door after Georgiana left.

"One _half_ of this room would have been big enough for the both of us," Charlotte said.

"Georgiana never mentioned what time dinner would be."

"Well…we came a _really_ long way just to get Darcy's number," Charlotte said with a smile.

"Hahahaha – you're funny."

"I'm sorry Eliza! I didn't think my little scheme would have us ending up here!"

"Don't worry, Char. I know you didn't plan for all of this."

Charlotte looked at Elizabeth curiously. "You sound… _different._ What are you thinking?"

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. But I'm going to find a way to tell Darcy the truth – that I came here looking for him, and our bumping into each other is more calculated misstep than happenstance," Elizabeth said. Of course, she wasn't going to give away Charlotte, but she wanted to be as honest as she could, under the circumstances. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell him what you did."

"But – "

"Charlotte, don't worry. Just trust me."

Charlotte looked at her for a while. "You won't tell me what you're planning?"

"I'm planning…I'm just trying to make things right," Elizabeth said, as she walked over squeezed Charlotte's hand. _Make things right for you,_ she thought silently. "I'm taking this room, mostly because I'm too lazy to walk into the next one, and this blasted headache is still throbbing." Elizabeth walked over to the bed and flopped on to it. "Also, this may be the softest bed _ever_." She heard Charlotte walking about, and then felt Charlotte stand over her. Elizabeth looked over, and saw the glass of water and painkiller in Charlotte's hand. "Thanks."

"She seems way to young to have had an opioid addiction," Charlotte said quietly, after walking about the room. She stood by the bed, looking at Elizabeth.

"And yet, that would be the most logical explanation." Elizabeth thought back to the photos she had seen. "I can't imagine that she'd not be allowed to have painkillers for no rhyme or reason. Not that any of this is our business. But it does make one worry about the likes of Lydia and Kitty, gadding about life, with neither mother nor father coming remotely close to being an actual parent."

"Not much we can do about Lydia and Kitty at this stage in our lives. Do you want to shower first?"

Elizabeth stared dead ahead as a thought struck her. Suddenly, the feeling of nausea that had been with her the past weekend hit her forcefully.

"What are you thinking? Elizabeth? _Elizabeth?_ What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking… wondering…thinking…is it coincidence that Georgiana isn't allowed to…isn't allowed to do _something_ with stronger meds, while one George Wickham had no trouble accessing drugs? I'm thinking what coincidence it is that George Wickham grew up here with Georgiana and Darcy…that Darcy mentioned Georgiana taking a gap year...I'm thinking that George had drugs enough to knock out a grown man and… I'm thinking it's creepy and unsettling and I'm hoping that it's all in my head but… _oh Charlotte_ , I feel sick."

Charlotte slowly slid against the bed onto the floor. "You and I both. Ugh. _Ugh._ "

"She's so _young._ She must be Kitty's age, give or take."

"She looks younger," Charlotte responded. "There's no such thing as coincidence," she added quietly.

"Charlotte, I can't. I feel gross and sick. Tell me I'm imagining this."

"They're both named after Darcy's father."

"I know."

"Maybe it _is_ in our heads."

"I don't know that either of us believe that."

"Let's pretend," Charlotte said with determination, "because the alternative is unbearable. It's not like we're ever going to know. This isn't something that either Darcy or Georgiana are ever going to tell us. Besides, maybe we have it all wrong. It was just one comment. One comment that Georgiana didn't even complete. We're wrong. We have to imagine…we can't go there. We're being paranoid and...we're being paranoid and we need to forget about this."

Elizabeth nodded, though she knew that neither of them would be able to do so successfully. "Do you want to have a shower first? I think I'll call Jane."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"No…not about this. Just want to tell her we're here and what happened. That's all. I just want to hear Jane's voice."

"So do I," Charlotte said plaintively. "Let's put her on speaker phone."

"We don't know when dinner is. We don't want to be tardy. You go shower quickly, and then I'll shower, and then we'll call Jane together."

* * *

 **A/N: I normally do not leave Author's Notes, as I feel they strongly take away from the experience of reading. However, I feel compelled to leave this note for a very specific anon reviewer who left a vitriolic, angry (and colourfully worded) review on the last chapter which I was compelled to delete (I also deleted the subsequent attempt by the same anon reviewer to leave a similar second review). ****To clarify what should be an obvious point, Wickham tried to use a date-rape drug (assumed, as the specific nature of the drug is not told) on a woman. Charlotte tried to engineer a meaning between two people. To state that Charlotte is 'as bad as' Wickham shows a very serious misunderstanding of both characters as well as both events. Given the amount of venom in that review, may I respectfully suggest that this story may not be for you, going forward?**

 **To all other anon & non-anon readers and reviewers, thank you so very much for your kind words of encouragement in your reviews, and for your Follow/Fave of this story. I rarely say it but I truly appreciate it!**


	17. Hindsight

**Chapter 17: Hindsight**

* * *

Elizabeth figured that at some time before, during, or after dinner, she would try and seek the opportunity to tell Darcy that she needed to speak to him the next morning. The chances of finding Darcy alone seemed slim otherwise. She now also had his number at long last, so texting was her plan B.

When Georgiana came to take them downstairs for dinner, both Elizabeth and Charlotte were ready, their phone call with Jane having been concluded by that time. Georgiana had partially escorted them down the hallway, when she stopped and asked if they preferred to dine in their room in which case arrangements could be made to have dinner served in their rooms. Elizabeth and Charlotte both declined. Elizabeth suspected that the offer of having dinner in their room came from Darcy, and her suspicions were confirmed when Georgiana triumphantly announced to Darcy that she and Charlotte preferred to eat downstairs.

"This is the breakfast room," Georgiana said, nervously. "I told Darcy that we should go to the dining room, but he insisted we eat here."

Darcy then seemed to feel necessary to apologise to them for the chosen room. "I hope you both don't mind that we're eating here, and not the dining room, but with just four of us, it seemed to make more sense."

Elizabeth had to laugh. "Darcy, I'm not sure exactly what this room is, but it's bigger than our dining room and kitchen combined. I think I speak for Charlotte when I say this room is fine."

"We can move to the bigger room if they want to, right?" Georgiana asked Darcy.

"This room is perfect, don't worry," Elizabeth said, trying to put Georgiana and Darcy at ease, and Charlotte also expressed similar sentiments. It really was a lovely room, not opulent or overbearing in the slightest. Elizabeth noted large French windows, which probably made the room perfect for breakfast, or afternoon tea. The décor, like everything else that Elizabeth had seen so far, was charming in an old-fashioned yet stately manner, which she realised was quite different to Darcy's place in the city. This was very much the family home. That was very much _his_ home. Elizabeth felt a now-familiar pang for having squandered her opportunity to get to know Darcy when they had initially met. She bit her lower lip to keep a sigh from escaping, and then realised that all eyes were on her.

"I'm sorry, my mind wandered there for a second. What did I miss?"

Darcy repeated his query about how she was feeling, and with that, they began dinner.

Elizabeth was fully astonished during the course of dinner. The meal had started off with three out of four diners being awkward, nervous, embarrassed or a combination thereof. Darcy seemed to be the only person who was calm and collected, though Elizabeth was certain that there was more to his composure than met the eye. Nevertheless, she had never seen him so open, friendly, or eager to please, save perhaps for the time they had gone swimming and even then he had been somewhat reserved. Indeed, Darcy spoke more at dinner tonight than he had during the entire course of their stay at Netherfield. Darcy's calm demeanour seemed to settle Georgiana's giddy excitement, and it was obvious to anyone who saw the two of them that brother and sister shared a very close bond.

It was during dessert when Georgiana asked if Richard would arrive tomorrow that Darcy looked uncomfortable for the first time.

"Actually, he might come later tonight. Closer to midnight, or sometime after that."

Georgiana almost clapped her hands in glee. "You both will _love_ Richard. He's _so_ much fun."

Elizabeth thought that Darcy looked almost wistful at his sister's effervescent praise.

Georgiana continued. "Darcy, you're staying up to wait for him, right?" An almost imperceptible nod was all Georgiana needed. "Can I stay up too? Shall we all?" She turned to Elizabeth and Charlotte. "Do you want to watch a movie afterwards? A couple of movies? We have a massive selection, or you could pick something online. Or a board game…or…"

"Or maybe, we can do one of that, or all of that, tomorrow," Darcy said. "Richard is going to be exhausted when he comes, and he and I may not even be done for the day. Besides, I think Elizabeth is supposed to be resting, and she also mentioned needing to catch up on a class tomorrow morning. I think it will have to be an early evening tonight."

"We can do all of your ideas tomorrow," Elizabeth said, smiling at Georgiana. "But be warned, Charlotte is merciless when it comes to board games. This is a head's up."

"Merciless?" Charlotte said. "I demand justice!"

"Shouldn't that be satisfaction that you're demanding?" Darcy asked, eliciting giggles from both Elizabeth and Georgiana.

"Do excuse my incorrect use of terminology," Charlotte said. "But I think Elizabeth knows what I meant."

"Fiiine," Elizabeth drawled. "Would it be better if I said 'ruthless?' Georgiana, you have all night to rethink your request for board games."

Georgiana grinned. "I'm excited already! Darcy, you'll join us, right? I can't wait for tomorrow!"

When dinner finished, it seemed to Elizabeth that Georgiana would likely walk them to their room. Therefore, she quietly asked Darcy is she could speak to him for a moment. She wasn't announcing it to the world, but the chances of her being heard by everyone was high. Charlotte adeptly had Georgiana escort her upstairs.

Darcy walked out with her, looking inquisitive. "We can go into the library, or my study where we'll have some privacy."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to clear the room like that. I really did want just a moment. It's late, and today's been a long day. What I wanted to ask was whether you would be in tomorrow morning; after I catch up on my lecture, I was wondering if we would be able to speak…there's a lot that I need to talk to you about."

* * *

Elizabeth woke up at five in the morning, because no matter the drama in her life, nothing justified letting her studies fall by the wayside. With iron-clad single-mindedness, she hit the books and didn't look up until there was a light knock on her door. Elizabeth put on a robe, looked at the time and realised that it was eight o'clock.

At the door was a maid, with a tray of food.

"Good morning Miss. I brought you a tray with breakfast, Mr. Fitzwilliam said that you were up studying and that I should bring you something to eat."

"Oh," Elizabeth said, surprised. "How did he…" She moved aside to let the young woman in.

"He probably saw your light on when he went out riding in the morning. If you need anything more, just let me know. And please just leave the tray - I'll come in later to clear it."

Elizabeth nodded mutely.

Had Darcy always been so considerate? He couldn't have been; Elizabeth distinctly recalled being annoyed with him almost ever since they met. And now, she could only think of him calling her tolerable.

That, and some snide remarks when it came to Jane.

And then there was George.

And all the ensuing madness.

Elizabeth shook her head. None of this was helping her state of mind _or_ her studies. It was a very important meeting, and she didn't have time for any distractions. Elizabeth opened the breakfast tray, and ate while finishing up her studies.

By nine thirty, she had finished studying, eating, and showering.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. As nervous as she was, this had to be done. She only managed one wrong turn in her search for the staircase, and found Darcy waiting at the bottom of it. While Darcy smiled when he saw her, it didn't really help ease the butterflies in her stomach.

"I hope you managed to get your studying done."

"Thanks for breakfast. It was delicious…and thoughtful."

Darcy just nodded, and watched her as she came down the stairs next to him.

"So…"

"Do you want to stay inside? Or we could go outside…we have an orchard that's a nice walk."

"The orchard. Definitely the walk to the orchard."

The grounds were beautiful, and Elizabeth felt that she would have enjoyed the walk more if she had been a little less nervous. Nevertheless, she made a concentrated effort to pay attention.

"Pemberley is stunning, and I've only seen part of it. And this orchard…I wasn't always a city girl, and this actually makes me miss 'home'…the long walks, the trees…"

"Where _is_ home?"

"It was Meryton…this little town in the middle of nowhere. Now, home is in the city, with Jane and Charlotte."

"Derbyshire was almost all farmland, though it's now become popular cottage country. Pemberley itself was bigger, but I ended up selling parts of the estate, much to my family's chagrin."

"Oh? How come?"

"I can't run an estate here and a law firm in the city, and do both successfully full-time. It wasn't a very popular with almost everyone."

"Georgiana must have been supportive, though. It must be nice to have a younger sister adore you like she does," Elizabeth said wistfully.

"Georgiana was young. But supportive, yes. She's been through a lot."

"Speaking of going through a lot…" Elizabeth paused, picking up an apple off the ground. She didn't eat it, but merely played with it, tossing it from one hand to another. "That wasn't the best segue, but… _ugh_. I don't want to do this, but I must," Elizabeth said out loud. She was too scared to look at Darcy, so she concentrated on her new-found apple. "To begin, I have a confession to make. Charlotte and I are not here, in Derbyshire, by accident. I needed to speak to you…"

"Yeah, you told me last night –"

"No. Yes. No. Not exactly. I mean, I needed to speak to you two days ago. I called your office and your assistant Matthew said that you were with family…and I didn't have your number, and we couldn't ask Charles because – well, that's a whole other story. I found out you weren't with your aunt, so I decided to come to Derbyshire. And for reasons that will become apparent soon enough, Charlotte decided to come with me. After a series of very bad ideas, we ended up at the stable…" Here, Elizabeth paused. None of this was Charlotte's fault, and she was loath to make Charlotte look bad, after her friend had acted with nothing but the best of intentions. "I _did_ fall off that horse, but it was not so much an accident as it was a hope and plan of making contact. Really, we just thought you'd call. None of the rest of this was planned…"

Elizabeth finally looked at Darcy, who was staring at her in open wonderment. He must have taken her long pause as an invitation to comment, because he finally spoke. "No, how _could_ you have planned the rest…I'm the one who got it into his head to insist that you come and stay at Pemberley...I don't understand. Why didn't you…why didn't you just _ask_ Matthew for my number? Or ask him to call me? Or you could have just emailed me."

"I can't even remember why I didn't just email you. I think I was scared or nervous or…" Elizabeth sighed. "Or maybe I remembered that I _should_ have contacted you the day after the gala. After you...after George...and I didn't. And it just felt weird and wrong to do so now, just because I needed something. In hindsight though, this feels even weirder now that it's actually happening and yes, I should have just emailed you."

"I suppose hindsight is a wonderful thing. You said you needed something. You were looking for me because you needed something," Darcy said flatly.

So relieved was Elizabeth at getting over what she thought was the most difficult part of their talk, she completely missed Darcy's tone.

* * *

 **A/N: SINCERE apologies at my tardiness in updating. So much drama that's mostly useless talking about. But everything is back on track now!**


	18. Wait

**Chapter 18: Wait**

* * *

"I suppose hindsight is a wonderful thing. You said you needed something. You were looking for me because you needed something," Darcy said flatly.

So relieved was Elizabeth at getting over what she thought was the most difficult part of their talk, she completely missed Darcy's tone. She took a deep breath. "Darcy, that evening at the gala…I was horrified and shocked, I wasn't functioning at my best. It was only after I…we…I…it was only after I was in the cab that I remembered that I had left the wine glass behind."

"But you left it at my house…?"

"Bill…you might remember my…Bill Collins? He works for your aunt?" Elizabeth continued after Darcy nodded. "He saw us leave and told Charlotte, who called me. She's the one who saw the glass, well, both glasses – the wine and the gin - and picked them up."

"Did George see her?" Darcy asked, concern evident in his voice.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, but Caroline did. She had Charlotte fired for theft."

Darcy stopped walking, and stared at her in horror. " _What?_ "

Elizabeth also stopped, and looked at Darcy. "Caroline reported Charlotte to HR. She said she saw Charlotte take the two glasses, and that she had also lost some things at Netherfield when we were there…when asked, Charlotte admitted to taking the two glasses because she wasn't going to lie, but refused to tell them the real reason, because she didn't want to drag us into it."

 _"What the hell?"_

"Yup. Charlotte was asked to leave the firm. I spoke to Edward, and he says that there's nothing he can do, given Caroline's accusations and what Charlotte admitted to…Darcy, you _know_ she didn't do anything wrong. I can't…I _can't_ have Charlotte lose her job because of me. She can't pay the price for _my_ idiocy. I wouldn't ask you if I had any other choice. But I already spoke to Edward, who says he can't do anything, and Jane can't speak to Charles because –"

"Because she broke up with him," Darcy finished the sentence.

Elizabeth paused, surprised at the choice of words, but decided to let it go to focus on the problem at hand. "We both know the power you have over Caroline. She'll listen to you. In fact, she'd probably listen to you over Charles. Caroline is _obsessed_ with you; Charles is merely the brother she likes dismiss with alarming frequency. Could you, _would_ you speak to Caroline? Explain to her that it's a misunderstanding, tell her –"

"Lie to her?"

Elizabeth frowned. "I…do you think what happened to Charlotte was _right?"_

Darcy's expression was inscrutable. "Of course not. But obviously, I'm not in a position to explain the truth to Caroline, not right now anyway, so whatever I tell her must necessarily be a lie."

"Why can't you tell her the truth? She'd believe it, if you said it."

"No," Darcy said, shaking his head. "I absolutely cannot tell Caroline the truth. When Richard and I are through with George, what he did is going to look like amateur hour, and I'm not having Caroline get in the way of that." Darcy's face turned to a dark cloud of anger, and he was practically grinding his teeth. "Mark my words, if Caroline has any idea, she's going to be a nuisance and interfere."

"Do you know where George is?"

"Not yet."

"What are you planning?"

Darcy waved his hand, avoiding the question. "We were talking about Charlotte."

"Actually, you were expressing an unwillingness to speak to Caroline."

"An unwillingness to _lie_ to her."

"I didn't know you held her in such high esteem," Elizabeth said harshly, and almost immediately regretted it. Fighting with Darcy wasn't going to help Charlotte any.

"I just don't believe in lying to people. Honesty is the best policy, and if one can't be honest, it's best not to say anything at all. Look at where George and _his_ lies have landed us…and of course, I'm assuming he lied to you, because that's just what he's done all his damn life." Every time George's name came up, the bitterness in Darcy's voice was apparent.

"Darcy, look, I'm not trying to quibble with your principles. It's just that none of this is helping Charlotte. I feel awful that she's the one paying the highest price for all of this, when none of it is her fault, and if I had exercised any discernment at all, we wouldn't – _she_ wouldn't – be in this mess."

"Please, don't blame yourself. Putting people in this situation is what George Wickham does best. It's his one calling in life."

"I'm not particularly interested in whether George was born bad because his pregnant mother saw a two-headed goat, or whether George is a Grade A creep because of drugs, or as a pledge to Satan. But…he said some incredible things about you. Incredibly awful things. That's why I had called you. Way back when. Before the gala. To tell you…to ask you. I'm so sorry I even _considered_ what he said. He stroked my ego, and apparently that was enough for me to suspend my good judgment, such as it was."

Darcy looked incredibly sad, and Elizabeth wondered if it was because of George, or because of what she'd inadvertently let slip.

"George's father and my father were classmates; they were friends since they were children. My father was godfather to George, and we grew up together. George's parents died when he was…I don't even know how young he was, but he was very small. My parents took George in – we were raised like brothers."

"That much George managed to be accurate about," Elizabeth muttered.

"George was always all things charming. Everyone adored him, including my parents, Georgiana, and for a while, even myself. When my parents died, they left a sizeable trust fund for George, quarter of it to be released to him when he turned eighteen, and the rest when he turned twenty-one. I know my father had hoped that we'd both go to law school, just like they had done. By the time we graduated high school, George said he had little interest in attending college, and preferred to learn how to manage Pemberley. Mrs. Reynolds' late husband was the estate manager here, and George thought he could take over that job. So he stayed here to understudy Mr. Reynolds, and I went to university. By all accounts, all George did was live the life of a wastrel, indulging in every luxury Pemberley could offer, and learning absolutely nothing. Mrs. Reynolds could write a book about the nonsense he got up to. I didn't know what to do with him, so I let him stay here. I figured that when he turned twenty-one, he would get the rest of the money from the trust fund and would get out of here. And that's pretty much what happened. As soon as the trust fund was released to him, George disappeared to lord-knows-where. We'd hear stories now and then about what he'd been up to, people calling us up to settle debts he'd left behind…Richard and I and even Charles had to personally bail him out a few times."

At the mention of Charles, Elizabeth frowned.

"That's right," Darcy said, in response to Elizabeth's expression, "George had met Charles a few times, and quickly realised that he would be the softest target from all three of us. Two or three years ago, George came to see me. He said he had decided to go to law school after all, but no longer had enough money for it. I assumed that he was either lying, or had actually pissed away his entire inheritance by then. I flatly refused to pay him a cent. Told him that if he actually managed to get into law school, I'd pay the school directly term by term, for tuition and residency."

"You wouldn't lose your entire investment if he dropped out…" Elizabeth mused aloud.

"Not the deal George was looking for, so he left." Darcy paused, before he continued. "You can speak to Charles, or Richard – he's inside and you'll meet him shortly – about George. Either of them can verify what I just told you. Or at least large parts of it."

"Darcy, I believe you. I don't need to have this verified by anyone. I have a question though. Did he…Georgiana –"

Darcy cut her off sharply. "What did he say about Georgiana?"

"Nothing. Don't worry, he didn't say anything at all. When Georgiana was speaking last night, she let it slip that she wasn't allowed to take strong medication, and given George's access to drugs, I just wondered…"

"That's not my secret to share," Darcy said quietly, and Elizabeth nodded. It wasn't really something she needed to know at this juncture. She knew all she needed to know about George.

Darcy sighed deeply. "Elizabeth. You came all the way here, to Derbyshire, to talk about Charlotte? Is that what you needed from me? Seriously?"

"I wanted to ask for your help. To ask you to speak to Caroline," Elizabeth said, suddenly all the nervousness coming back to her.

"About Charlotte. All of this. The trip here. The stable. The horse. All for Charlotte. Charlotte is the sole reason you're here? Charlotte and Caroline are the only things you wanted to talk to me about. Is that what you're telling me?" Darcy's voice had a tinge of something to it. Anger, or frustration.

Elizabeth swallowed, and tried to set aside her nervousness. "I…I also wanted to apologise. For what happened."

"You left me a letter," Darcy said, "consisting of an apology that is wholly unnecessary. None of this is _your_ fault."

"It was so inadequate! I'm so ashamed! So mortified! I should have stayed until you were awake, to make sure that you were actually okay. But I couldn't, because I felt so awful and idiotic and ashamed." To Elizabeth horror, she felt tears prick her eyes, and Elizabeth blinked rapidly, trying to push them back.

"This is _not_ your fault! That's not what I'm talking about," Darcy said, voice raised and frustration now apparent. He sighed again, and took Elizabeth's hands into his. Darcy continued in a quieter voice. "I don't blame you – at _all_ – for that night. There's no way you could have known about George, and his powers of charm and persuasion is legendary. You have _no_ reason to be ashamed. You went out of your way to make sure I was okay. You did more than enough. I just…I didn't think for a moment that you were in Derbyshire by accident. That would have been the height of absurd coincidence. I thought that when you were here, when you said you wanted to speak to me, that…it would be about something other than asking for help for Charlotte. About something _else_ that happened that night."

Elizabeth stared at him blankly. If Darcy didn't want an apology, if he didn't want an explanation for her behaviour…

"Elizabeth, please don't insult my intelligence by looking at me like that. My recollections of that night may not be the clearest, but I'm fairly certain that I told you…I told you _something_ about my feelings for you."

It took Elizabeth a few seconds to realise that her jaw had dropped opened. "Darcy…it was so unexpected…I had no idea…I mean…you were drugged! I had no idea that you…" Elizabeth paused, as she realised that she was repeating herself. She noticed that Darcy had dropped her hands, and was staring at her with a mix of emotions she couldn't place. She remembered her thoughts when she had been at Darcy's home that night, realising that she had been attracted to him until he had insulted him. Being so unsure of what was real and what had been the drugs. Feeling awful and mortified and guilty.

"How could you _not_ know I was interested in you?" Darcy asked, surprise and shock evident. "Why would I come to your office, strike up a relationship with Edward, keep tagging along with Charles…"

Elizabeth stared. The surprises just kept piling on! Darcy had thought she _knew?_ "You thought I _knew?_ Darcy, come on! You told Charles I was _'tolerable, but not pretty enough'_ to tempt you. You told him I was _'desperate'_ , to tag along with Jane to a random party. _That_ was supposed to make me think that you were interested in me?"

Darcy looked horrified. "You…you heard that?"

"Of _course_ I did! Did you think I was in the habit of taking an instant dislike to someone I just met? It's ridiculous that you think I should have known…were your snippy insults to Jane at Netherfield supposed to make me think that the man of my dreams had materialised to sweep me off my feet?"

"I never meant to insult Jane!"

"Yeah, well, you did. You were rude and insulting about her, and it was hurtful to me to hear you." Until she said that out loud, Elizabeth had never connected with the hurt she had felt. She had been so angry, annoyed, and insulted by Darcy that she had never realised, let alone acknowledged, the hurt she had felt to have been dismissed by him, and then to have him put down her sister.

"Elizabeth, you don't understand. Jane was a _completely_ different person from the ballerina that I had met. Just because she was dating Charles…"

"No, _you_ don't understand. Did it ever occur to you that Jane was shy? And completely in awe of Charles, and you, and Caroline, and Louisa – all of you with your fancy degrees and exalted jobs? That maybe she was ashamed of being just a ballerina in your crowd? In Charles' crowd? I suppose you thought this six months Brussels gig was a great idea. I suppose that's why you think _Jane_ broke up with _Charles."_

Darcy seemed visibly flustered. "Charles asked me, and I approved his leave of absence. Jane seemed so disinterested in her job, and so into Charles, that I thought she'd be delighted to join him."

"You know what Jane told me? That if she seemed disinterested, maybe it was because Charles was disinterested, and that she downplayed her career because everyone seemed to consider it a deficiency in her. That she was training for her career by the time she was six, when Charles was…"

"Charles told me that Jane had said something to that effect to him."

It occurred to Elizabeth that they had become sidetracked from the original topic of discussion, though she was hardly in a state to venture back to it. Here was a man she had liked, who had hurt her with his honesty, whom she had now hurt in turn with _her_ honesty, with so many other things happening, so many misunderstandings with so many other actors, that Elizabeth didn't know how to start unravelling the mess. She covered her face with her hands, her sigh muffled by her palms. _Oh, where to begin?_

Elizabeth felt Darcy gently hold her shoulders. "I'm sorry I brought this up. You've made your feelings clear, and I won't raise this issue again."

Her hands dropped from her face, and she turned to look at Darcy in surprise.

He swallowed, and continued to speak. "I'm sorry I insulted you. I…I was…you know what, it doesn't matter what my reasons were. I should have never said that, and I'm deeply sorry to have hurt your feelings. You must know that you're actually the most –" Darcy cut himself off, and looked heavenwards. "I'm very sorry for hurting you, and also about Jane. I'll leave you alone now, and, this subject is buried here onwards. I just hope that despite what you feel towards me, you won't leave Pemberley immediately; I would hate for Georgiana to lose a friend because of her brother's behaviour. But…but if you feel you cannot stay, I completely understand."

With that, Darcy turned and started walking away.

"Darcy, wait!" Elizabeth cried, not knowing what she'd actually tell him if he waited.

Darcy turned his head while continuing to walk away. "Don't worry about Charlotte. I'll take care of it."

He didn't wait.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know that the vast majority of the readers and reviewers here are truly wonderful. This note is NOT meant for them.

This note is meant for the trolls (I think it may be the same one, or perhaps two) who leave ridiculous, and honestly, insulting reviews that I am compelled to delete. Like I said a few chapters ago, if you don't get this story, or you really don't like it (which is apparent), please move onto one of the many other wonderful stories on this forum. You can keep leaving mean-spirited reviews, and I will keep deleting them.

To everyone else, I wish you all a wonderful 2019!


	19. Taking Care of Charlotte

**Chapter 19: Taking Care of Charlotte**

* * *

Elizabeth managed to walk, though she didn't know where or in which direction. So much had been said, and yet, nothing was really resolved, she had hurt Darcy's feelings, and Elizabeth didn't understand what her heart or mind were trying to say.

She had wanted to run after him, but her legs had been rooted to the spot. She had asked him to wait, and he hadn't. Nothing but the barest shreds of pride left in her had kept from begging him to stay.

And for what? She was so confused, she didn't even know what she would have said to him had he actually stayed behind. Nevertheless, Elizabeth had watched Darcy walk away, willing him to turn around. When he kept walking, she went the opposite way.

At least I could have apologised to him, she thought. Apologised for hurting him just then, and to also clarify that her feelings were decidedly _not_ clear. They weren't clear even to her. She wished they could start on a clean slate. It wasn't reasonable to expect Darcy to be okay with that, but she couldn't turn back time. To be able to start afresh, with no baggage, no siblings to defend, no friends to protect, no George...

Elizabeth wondered if Darcy would even want to talk to her alone again. She wondered how reasonable any of this was. She had quite literally followed him to his family home, to beg him to help her friend. It was apparent that Darcy was loathe to speak to Caroline, and yet, he had said he'd take care of things. How unreasonable and unfair would it be of her to further impose on him to talk about _'them_ ', especially when her own feeligs were such a mishmash of incoherence?

She had been attracted to him, she had almost even liked him, when she had allowed herself to go beyond her own prejudices and insecurities. Elizabeth felt that she was just walking out of a foggy, dense wood, and she was only just beginning to see things clearly. But that wasn't what Darcy felt for her. Darcy, ever master of himself, knew exactly what he felt.

The morning sun was shining brightly when Elizabeth met Georgiana on her way back to the main house.

"I was afraid you got lost! Darcy's terrible for letting you wander around without a guide!"

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh, it's fine, I wasn't really lost. The grounds here are stunning, and it was nice walking around." Elizabeth wasn't sure what Darcy had said to his sister, so she avoided mentioning his name altogether.

"Did you finish your studying?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I'll be glad when law school is finally over!"

Georgiana laughed. "I remember when Darcy was in school, his nose was glued to his books! I knew then that whatever I did with my life, law would not be it!" She looked at her watch. "It's still a bit early for lunch…do you want to go swimming first? Work up an appetite?" Georgiana asked eagerly.

Of _course_ there was an indoor pool somewhere, Elizabeth thought to herself. "Sure, that sounds good. Did you ever swim competitively? I remember Darcy saying that he had, though he was emphatic that it had also been a while."

"Hahaha – Darcy can get that way. I never took up any sport competitively. I think I was always so buried in my music that there wasn't enough time for doing anything else. Darcy said that you're a really strong swimmer. He said that you both went swimming at the Ivy."

"Well, 'really strong' might not be the phrase _I_ would use."

"You must be, if you could manage with my brother. Did you like the Ivy? Darcy takes me there whenever I'm in the city, but I'm always afraid that I'll break something or get into some kind of trouble. Like, everyone's always looking at me, and it's _so_ imposing!"

Elizabeth laughed. "Believe me, I thought the same thing when I was there!" She turned to Georgiana, and took a breath. She wanted to be warm and helpful. "But, you know, that's probably me just projecting my own insecurities. Everyone there was very nice and polite, and I'm sure they were least concerned with me."

Georgiana opened her mouth, and then closed it as she seemed to ponder Elizabeth's words. "True. It's still a bit scary." She then looked at Elizabeth seriously. "I can't believe that _you_ would be insecure about yourself."

Elizabeth shrugged. "It's not something I really think about, but for sure I have my own fair share of insecurities. I think we all do. It's nice to be aware of it ahead of time, before you run off and do something monumentally stupid," and here Elizabeth looked rueful, "but alas, that's not always possible. Some awareness helps, even after the fact." Elizabeth thought of Jane. "Even the very best of us are plagued by insecurities. Just tell yourself that at least twelve other people before you are sure to have broken something there first!"

Georgiana giggled. "You're funny!"

As Georgiana talked, Elizabeth wondered where Charlotte was. They were at the house now, and her friend was nowhere in sight. "Do you know where Charlotte is? Maybe I should text her and see where she is and if she'd like to swim."

"She was speaking to Darcy when I left to look for you…why don't you look for Charlotte, and I'll see if Richard is finally awake, or maybe Darcy will join us."

* * *

As it turned out, Elizabeth and Georgiana were left to their own devices. Georgiana's cousin Richard ended up being fast asleep. Darcy and Charlotte were chatting, and Charlotte said that she would catch up with them later, which she never did. Darcy gave no reasons for _his_ refusal to join, or at least none that Georgiana shared with Elizabeth.

While Elizabeth missed the presence of Charlotte, she was rather grateful for neither of the men being there. Seeing Darcy, even with others, would simply be too much too soon, and she needed some time to gather her wits before meeting a new person. If Georgiana had any complaints about having only Elizabeth for company, she showed no outward signs of it. Elizabeth found Georgiana chatty and lovely. She was rather innocent and naïve, but that was almost a given, seeing that she was quite young and seemingly sheltered.

When Elizabeth went to her room to shower and change before lunch, she found Charlotte sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"You forgot to tell me that our adventure into Derbyshire was so that you could speak to Darcy getting me my job back."

"I had to do something! Would you have let me come here, if I had told you?"

"Probably not, but when I have been able to hold you back once you've made up your mind?"

Elizabeth dropped the towel onto a chair, and sat on the bed facing Charlotte. "Are you mad at me?"

Charlotte laughed. "Of course not! I'm miffed that you didn't tell me, but if I had been you, I would've kept quite too."

"Tell me what happened!"

"Okay, but it's your turn next."

"Deal!"

Charlotte took a deep breath. "So. Georgiana and I finished breakfast, and she wanted to know if I wanted to watch a movie, go swimming, or go riding. I thought riding might be fun, but then Darcy walks in, looking, well, looking…decidedly not good. I couldn't tell if he felt sick, or if he was angry, or –"

"Or hurt?"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "Eliza?"

"We agreed that it was going to be your story first."

Charlotte sighed. "I'm so tempted to give you the Cliff Notes version. Okay, so. Darcy comes in, asks if he could speak to me about Gardiner Stewart. Georgiana asks where you are, and Darcy said you were walking around the orchard."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to interject, but then quickly thought otherwise. "And?"

"So he takes me to this room – his study? Office? I can't even tell what the correct word is in a house this size. There's no beating around the bush; Darcy comes straight to the point. He says that you told him I got fired because of Caroline and the glasses. And then he apologises for causing me all this trouble."

"It's not _his_ fault!"

"Precisely what I said. Besides, Caroline picked on me because she knew I'd be an easy target. If she had seen _you_ take those glasses, she'd never have pulled the same stunt."

"Don't put yourself down like that," Elizabeth replied quietly.

Charlotte shrugged. "Darcy of course, refused to hear of a scenario where he wasn't to blame for my unemployment. He says that the first thing that needs to be done is to have my reputation rectified, so that everyone isn't thinking that I'm a thief. I might have told him that I didn't think an ad in the paper would cut it at this stage, and it didn't even matter. He gives me one of those looks, and calls Caroline! With me sitting right there!"

"No!"

"Yes! I'm telling you, he called Caroline! And of course she answered, because –"

"Because she's getting a call from Darcy's cell phone! She could be in the middle of submissions, and she'd take that call."

"Hahahaha – so true He calls Caroline, and, again, cuts to the chase. He says that he heard that she accused me of stealing, and that I had been let go. Mind you, the call wasn't on speaker phone, so I could only guess what _she_ was saying."

"Ooooh, to have been on the other side of that call! Darcy probably didn't want to put it on speaker, because who knows _what_ Caroline would have said."

"Yup, she's not trustworthy, tactful, and is possibly unstable after that call. She must've asked who told him, because Darcy says _'Elizabeth'_ , and then he adds that he's actually with me while speaking to Caroline. Not sure what her response to _that_ was, but something ridiculous I'm sure, because Darcy says _'that's not important right now'_."

"I can't even…I'm gobsmacked."

"I haven't got to the best part yet. Darcy says that there seems to be some confusion and misapprehension. He tells Caroline that the glasses she _thinks_ I stole are actually in his possession, and I did him a favour by taking them. That man gets a prize for misleading Caroline without once having to lie."

"Did she ask why he needed the glasses?"

"I'm not sure. I think she probably questioned him along those lines, because he told her that I gave the glasses to you, and then you made sure that he got them. He distinctly told her that _'it's a confidential matter'_ and that he wasn't going to discuss all of that with her."

"Oh my goodness Charlotte, this too much!"

Charlotte clapped her hands in glee "I _know!_ To have sat there, listening to this conversation between Darcy and Caroline has made everything worth it! Can you imagine? Darcy refuses to discuss the details with Caroline, but she knows that _both_ of us are in the know!"

"Caroline must be _furious!"_

"Darcy tells her that he's extremely unhappy that I have been let go by the firm because of this, and asks whether he can count on Caroline to speak to whoever she has to, to sort this out. He also adds that he will speak to Edward himself later in the day, but thinks that it might be better if she speaks to him first. Elizabeth, you have no idea how amazing it was, just to sit there and let my imagination run wild about how Caroline must be looking like. Her expressions would have been priceless! Even if nothing comes of this…it's fine. I feel vindicated."

"What do you mean, _'even if nothing comes of this'_? Something _will_ come of this! That's why I had to speak to Darcy; we _know_ that Caroline will listen to him. She'll do what he asks. You did nothing wrong, and you being fired was criminal." Elizabeth fell back onto the bed. "Oh, Charlotte. Finally. _Finally._ Things are finally turning in the right direction."

After a few moments of silence, Charlotte spoke. "There's more. Just a little bit more."

Elizabeth looked at her questioningly.

"Darcy said pretty much what you're thinking. He also thought that Caroline would the needful, no matter that she's pretty much being forced to. He thought that by this time tomorrow, I'd have my old job back."

"Sooo…that's a good thing, right? I don't understand your weird tone."

"Just a teeny bit more Eliza, and you will. I start blubbering trying to thank Darcy, and he stops me. Tells me that he'd like me to think about whether I'd actually be happy going back to work to the same place, a place that let me go. Whether I'd be happy and comfortable having Caroline for a colleague going forward. Naturally, I had nothing to say, and he told me to think about it seriously and let him know how I felt. He said if I didn't want to go back to Gardiner Stewart, he might have another idea for me, but he wanted me to think about Gardiner Stewart first. And _now_ my story is over."

"That's why you never came swimming."

"I needed to think. I'm not sure I've quite finished thinking."

"You don't want to come back, even if they offer your old job back?"

"Elizabeth, I can't thank you enough. Coming all the way here, neglecting your own job, your classes, just for me! I needed my reputation back. For my old job, for a new job, for _any_ job! I needed my reputation back, and now, because of you, I've gotten it back."

"Because of Darcy."

"There would be no Darcy intervening on my behalf if not for you. Let's be very clear about that. Eliza, you're like a sister to me. Better than a sister, because you know my own family don't have any great regard for me. I love you. Thank you _so_ much for caring about me enough to go to all this trouble."

Elizabeth grinned. "I wouldn't have come this far for just anybody. But we both know that you are not just _anybody._ You're my best friend." Elizabeth sat up to hug Charlotte, and felt some of the tension from the morning seeping away.

"Okay, now it's your turn."

But before Elizabeth could begin to tell Charlotte anything, there was a knock on the door, and Georgiana skipped into the room.

"Lunch is almost ready!" She considered Elizabeth, who clearly looked much the same way she did as when she had left the pool. "Don't worry, there's time for you shower quickly. Richard is just getting out of bed, so he's going to take a bit to get ready."


	20. What a Lunch!

**Chapter 20: What a Lunch!**

* * *

Elizabeth really wished that she had had the opportunity to speak to Charlotte before lunch had started, not just for Charlotte's ever-reliable advice, but also so that Charlotte would have had the knowledge of what happened in the morning. On top of that, she had no reason to hang around Pemberley any longer. She really should be catching the next train out of there, but then Darcy had also asked her not to leave immediately for the sake of Georgiana. If only she had had a chance to speak to Charlotte, or at least Jane!

Elizabeth bit her lower lip unconsciously, and glanced discreetly around the table. Darcy's eyes were downcast. His demeanour was quite a contrast from the open, friendly, relaxed man from dinner the previous evening. The Darcy at lunch resembled the Darcy that Elizabeth had first met; quiet, borderline sullen, and irritable. Now with the advantage of knowledge, Elizabeth realised that this must be Darcy when he was distracted, and likely also upset and hurt. Charlotte was gamely trying to go along with the discussion at hand, but it was obvious that she had something on her mind, much like Elizabeth. Georgiana was animated, but spent equal time looking curiously at all her companions.

And then there was Richard. Elizabeth had been nervous about meeting him, because she recalled Darcy telling her at the gala that Richard thought Darcy had 'fallen' for her. She had no idea how up-to-date Richard's information was, but she was discomfitted.

For most of the meal, Richard had been holding court. Richard was perhaps a few years older than Darcy. In Elizabeth's opinion, he wasn't as good looking, but the gene pool had nevertheless been very generous to him. Besides the obvious good looks running through the family tree, Richard was talkative, charming, and funny. Unfortunately, the more loquacious Richard became, Darcy turned more sullen, which made Elizabeth concerned and increased both her and Georgiana's curiosity.

Elizabeth had missed the beginning of the anecdote, but tried to pay attention to what Richard was saying.

"…and I kept coughing into my elbow like a Victorian prostitute with consumption in a BBC period drama, but she didn't seem to mind. Then again, she never went out with me again, so maybe that's the reason why," Richard finished with a flourish, to peals of laughter from Georgiana, hollow titters from Elizabeth and Charlotte, and an eyeroll from Darcy.

"What, Darcy, you don't find my story funny?"

"I've heard it before."

"Nonsense! You couldn't have possibly heard it before – I just made it up!" Richard said with a grin, and was rewarded with another eyeroll from Darcy.

"Richard! You're terrible," said Georgiana, smiling.

"Stop being so glum, Darcy. What will your guests think?"

Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder why Richard was needling Darcy. It was fairly obvious that the man wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Darcy now glared openly at Richard. "Ever since they met me, I have been nothing but glum. Thankfully, therefore, nothing about me presents as a surprise to either Elizabeth or Charlotte. Can you please just get on with the rest of your story?"

Richard put his cutlery down, and looked around the table, the humour vanishing from his face. "What would be the point of that, when it seems like the entire table has other things on their mind?"

It was at this point that it occurred to Elizabeth that the jokes and exuberance could have been just an act. Elizabeth couldn't figure out what was going on. Charlotte studied at her plate. Georgiana looked at Darcy.

"Richard. Enough. " Darcy's voice was hard, carrying with it a clear a warning.

Richard sighed. "Come on. We're not strangers, and everyone here is touched by the same thing. _Person._ If we just talked about the elephant in the room, there wouldn't be half this tension."

"I said that was _enough_. You have no idea what you're blabbering about."

"Neither do I," Georgiana said, now obviously irritated. "What _is_ going on here?"

"Nothing _."_ Darcy said.

Elizabeth spoke at the same time. "Maybe Charlotte and I should leave."

"I think that's a great idea," Charlotte said, starting to get up.

Darcy also started to stand. "I think we can all safely conclude that lunch is over."

"So we're never going to talk about him then? Until someone puts a bullet between George's eyes…and by 'someone' I mean you or me, of course," Richard drawled, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh my goodness," Charlotte said, practically falling back into her chair.

Darcy facepalmed.

Elizabeth gaped.

And Georgiana. She dropped her fork with a loud clatter. Her eyes immediately filled with tears. "This is about George! You both promised me!" She banged her fists on the table. "You both _promised_ not to do anything to him!"

Elizabeth stared at Georgiana. _She's in love with George Wickham,_ Elizabeth realised.

Darcy drew out a long breath. "We both promised to not to get back at him for what he did to you. Georgie -"

Richard cut him off. "A promise that no longer has any value, which is what I wanted us to discuss, now that he's terrorising a host of other people."

Georgiana suddenly looked from Elizabeth to Charlotte, clearly having had forgotten their presence. "What…how do you both know George?"

Charlotte stared at Elizabeth. "Well…" Elizabeth started, not having the slightest clue what to say.

"George tried to drug _her,_ presumably to...well, for obvious reasons," Richard said, pointing to Elizabeth, "and instead managed to drug _him,_ " Richard now pointed to Darcy, "causing _her_ to lose her job," he said, finishing off with Charlotte. "Georgiana, this is all _very_ serious, and it concerns other people. The three of us have put others at risk by sitting around and doing nothing for all this time, and this cannot continue, promise or no promise."

Tears were streaming down Georgiana's face. "Do you know where he is?" she asked, voice quavering.

"Hiding under a rock somewhere, waiting for the coast to clear."

"Well, he didn't seem to think that I would go to the police," Elizabeth said quietly, astonished at the events that were unfolding.

"I _told_ you she'd remember things that you didn't," Richard said accusingly to Darcy.

Georgiana looked at Elizabeth and Charlotte and mumbled something, but it was so incoherent that Elizabeth couldn't even guess at what she had said. She then got up and left the room.

"I sincerely apologise to both of you for having been subjected to that," Darcy said, and shook his head looking at Richard. _"That_ was the best you could do? There was no better way to break the news to her?"

"You can't spoil her forever," Richard said quietly. "The faster the bandage comes off, the better. She desperately needs to grow up. We _all_ have to take responsibility for what has now happened."

"Please excuse me. I'm going to go check on my sister," Darcy said to the Elizabeth and Charlotte as he left the room.

* * *

"It would be fairly rude for us to leave now," Charlotte said. "It would seem so judge-y."

Elizabeth and Charlotte had waited long enough to be interrogated by Richard about George before finding their way into the library, a giant split-level room with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. While Elizabeth had finally been able to share with Charlotte the events of the morning, the unmitigated disaster that had been lunch was uppermost on both their minds.

Elizabeth sighed. "And it's equally rude for us to stay. I mean, this is clearly a family drama and they should have their privacy, not to even mention all the other reasons why I've overstayed my welcome. This is one step forward, two steps back."

"More like one step forward, twelve steps sideways. Like, honestly. I'm so lost. What are we going to do? What are _you_ going to do? Or, you know, slightly simpler questions like where are we sleeping tonight?"

"Well, I'm going to give Darcy all the space in the world. Pretty sure the man has enough problems without my adding to it. His first priority has to be his sister. His first _ten_ priorities has got to be his sister. And the next ten will presumably be George Wickham. He doesn't need me to be a distraction."

"Who says you have to be a distraction?" Charlotte asked, giving Elizabeth the side eye.

"Come on, Charlotte."

"I just don't think you should make decisions for Darcy. You know, the way Jane made decisions for Charles and then he in turn made decisions for her?"

"And I don't want to be _that_ girl, who acts like she is the centre of the solar system. I'm not Caroline Bingley. I have to recognise that there are some serious things going on here that's more important than Darcy having a thing for me or my wanting to get to know him better."

"Eliza, you're always looking after other people. You've always looked after Jane, of me, you came all the way here for me, and now you're going to look after Darcy, but unfortunately not in the way he wants. Maybe, you should forget about doing the right thing, such as it is, and do what you want to do."

"Charlotte, you say that to me, but if you were in my place, you would never be so selfish. In fact, as past events show, you had the option to be selfish, and you categorically chose not to be."

Charlotte fidgeted with her watch, frowning.

Elizabeth smiled. "Hey, it's okay. Time heals all wounds. Time heals _everything._ Just because I'm going to take a backseat now, doesn't mean the topic can't be revisited in the future, when the timing is more appropriate. Or better. Or calmer."

Charlotte sighed, but smiled. "What an adventure, huh?"

"Yeah. And hey, what a lunch!"

"Holy hell, that Richard is a force of nature! Did anyone mention what he actually does for a living?"

"Yes, Charlotte, I asked, and he said he worked for the secret service, mostly on counterfeit currency. How on _earth_ did you miss that part?!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Yeah, like there hasn't been enough happening to distract me here and there."

"Uh-huh," Elizabeth retorted, and picked up her cellphone.

"Are you calling Jane?"

"Texting Darcy."

"Oh?"

"Asking where he is, and if he's not with Georgiana, I'm going to go find him. Talk to him, see what he'd like us to do, what help he needs, if any. High time I made myself useful, instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off."

* * *

 **A/N:** Unfortunately, it's that time again when I have to address a particular 'Guest Reviewer'. You must clearly see that I delete all your reviews. Such bizarre, mean-spirited comments are not reviews by any stretch of the imagination. We're on chapter 20 now. Almost 50,000 words have been written. Surely you are intellignet enough to understand that if you don't like the story or characters after all this, _it's not going to get any better._ Why don't you do both of us a favour and stop reading this story? It is baffling as to why you continue to read a story you obviously despise, and then, to top that off, you keep leaving reviews that are so mean that you can see they are all promptly deleted. I'm going to suggest that this may be the time for some self reflection, and to go read the many other wonderful stories being hosted on this site. Gracias.

For everyone else, including all the anon/guest reviewers, it goes without saying that your wonderful reviews, favourites, and follows are heart-warming and so encouraging! Thank you.


	21. An Important Chat

**Chapter 21: An Important Chat**

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey."

Despite the monosyllabic response, Darcy did motion her to sit down, which Elizabeth considered to be a positive step. "I didn't know that you had an outdoor pool as well," she said, trying to open with something casual. After she spoke though, Elizabeth wondered if her remark sounded as silly to Darcy as it did to her own ears.

"This one was always there, for as long as I can remember. Even once it's become too cold to swim, the view of the grounds from here is incredible." He sighed. "The one inside was a bribe."

Elizabeth cocked her head to a side. "For Georgiana?"

Darcy laughed with little humour. "For me."

Elizabeth was genuinely confused. "But…"

"Once my parents – when they were alive, obviously – once they decreed that I couldn't _actually_ be a competitive swimmer, that in the gospel of Fitzwilliam it had been written that I was to be a lawyer and nothing else and no, law being a deferred career was not an option, they thought bribing me with an indoor pool was the way to go."

Elizabeth was shocked. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise…"

"It's fine, it was years and years ago. It may not have been my first choice, but at least I enjoy law."

Elizabeth kept to herself the thought that he may have been able to enjoy both. "And you're good at it."

"Says the person working in family law."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "We _do_ have one class action, remember? I've done research for it, I've read some of your reported decisions. I'm not being insincere."

For the first time since the conversation started, Darcy actually smiled. "You're not really the kind for false praise. Anyway, that's the story of the two pools."

"As bribes go, perhaps not the most appropriate."

"Perhaps, but my family's mantra is to throw money at problems and hope that they go away. Conventional thinking is that the more money you throw at a problem, the higher the chances of getting rid of said problem. Such thinking is bound to result in the occasional inappropriate bribes."

"Or the occasional problem that you can't fix with money."

"Like George Wickham? There's a price – a literal price – to make _that_ problem go away, I just haven't been willing to pay it."

"Darcy, I'm sure that you have enough money to make him go away, but I doubt that even your family has enough money to make him _stay_ away."

Darcy rubbed his temple with his fingers. "Richard and I have a plan. We just need to find the bugger."

As much as Elizabeth wanted to know what the plan was, this wasn't the right time. "Onto more immediate problems though." She sighed, and dropped her voice involuntarily. "How's Georgiana doing?"

Darcy shook his head. "Upset. Distraught. Angry in turn at me, Richard, Wickham, herself, and then the guilt set in. She worked herself into such a state that I had to give her a Valium."

"A Valium?"

"Doctor's orders, when she's suffering from extreme anxiety, hysteria, or panic attacks. She hasn't had to use a Valium for a while…she's asleep now. I think she'll wake up for dinner, maybe watch some tv and then go to bed gain. She's spent."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah…eventually she will be."

"I was wondering – actually, Charlotte and I were wondering –" Elizabeth started.

"You must be thinking that Georgiana is –" Darcy said at the same time.

They both paused and looked at each other. Elizabeth decided it was better to respond to what Darcy had begun to say.

"Believe me, I'm hardly in a position to judge; two parents who are alive and well, and I know you saw the antics of _my_ younger siblings at that gala. Not that my mother was any better." So distracted was she by the drama with George, that Elizabeth hadn't actually dwelt much thought on her family's atrocious conduct at the gala, and she winced now just recalling how awful they had been, not the least being her mother's yammering about Jane abandoning her career. She sighed.

"Richard is right that I spoil her. It's not Georgiana's fault."

"She's your sister, and you've been both of her parents for as long as she can remember. It's understandable." It struck Elizabeth that she and Darcy had the most in-depth and personal conversations at the oddest of times. "Your cousin on the other hand…he's quite the character."

"Richard is…Richard. He means well," Darcy said. "He's a good person," he added defensively.

"I didn't doubt that he was," Elizabeth said quickly. "Though…how are you not still mad at him? If _my_ cousin did that, he'd be at the bottom of a river right now."

Darcy shrugged. "It's been a very long day. I'm too tired to be angry." He looked at her, expression inscrutable. "We've all had a very long day. You were asking me something before I interrupted you."

"Umm, yeah…Charlotte and I were wondering…we don't want to impose during what is clearly private matter. This is a time for Georgiana to be with her family, not random strangers who invited themselves over. But we also don't want to hurt her by leaving and making it seem that we're judging her. I thought that maybe I should just ask you and take it from there. We just want to help and do the right thing. Please, just be honest and tell me what we should do right now and if it would be better to stay or to go."

From the expression on Darcy's face, it was quite plain that he hadn't thought about this at all, which Elizabeth found to be a relief. If he hadn't thought about their presence, they hadn't yet become a burden.

"I…Georgiana would be so ashamed of herself if she woke up to find you both had left."

"Then we'll stay," Elizabeth said simply.

Darcy looked a bit surprised. "Just like that? What do _you_ want to do?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes instinctively. "You sound like Charlotte. I want to do whatever will help. If Georgiana's going to feel bad if we leave, then I'm happy to stay."

"I'm going back to the city on Sunday. I can drive both of you back. Georgiana might come as well. That's still up in the air."

"Sounds good to me," Elizabeth said. She was certain that Charlotte wouldn't mind.

"Shall we head back inside? I should go check on Georgiana."

Elizabeth nodded, hopping off the chair. Darcy looked like he wanted to say something more, but he didn't. "You must be exhausted," she said as they walked back towards the house. Darcy nodded absently, but didn't respond. When Darcy's hand was on the door, Elizabeth spoke again. "Darcy, I'm…I wanted to also say that I was sorry. I was so bullish about fixing things for Charlotte…I didn't stop to think for one minute about how being here would affect you or your family." She gulped in air. This was an awkward but necessary apology. "I'm truly sorry for just turning up here and being the catalyst for all this drama and upsetting Georgiana." Darcy looked like he was about to say something to interrupt her, so Elizabeth rushed on before her courage failed her. "And I'm also sorry for being so rude and hurtful this morning. I just…it was uncalled for."

Darcy ran his fingers through his hair. "All of this was a long time coming. You have nothing to apologise for."

"Still. I _am_ apologising. Just so we're clear."

Finally, there was the ghost of a smile on Darcy's face. " _Okay_ then," he said, with some amusement.

"Could we start on a fresh slate?"


	22. Levity

**Chapter 22: Levity**

* * *

Elizabeth had planned to wake up early to study, but the mental exhaustion from the day before lead to her waking up no earlier than five thirty in the morning.

Dinner the previous evening had been a relatively quiet affair, with just Richard joining them. Darcy had dropped by just to say that Georgiana was not feeling well enough to eat with them, and he would take her something and wait with her until she went back to bed. For his part, Richard had been less exuberant during dinner than he was during lunch; after asking them a little bit about themselves, Richard spent the better part of the evening telling them about the antics of George Wickham when he was still a quasi-member of Pemberley.

Elizabeth managed to squeeze in two solid hours of studying before Charlotte woke up. Then they each showered and headed downstairs for breakfast. Darcy and Georgiana joined them soon after, though Richard was entirely absent from the meal. Georgiana's eyes were sunken and she was paler than she had been on the first day they met. She was also much quieter, which gave her the appearance of suddenly being shy. She sat next to Darcy, and took all her cues from him. Elizabeth felt a great amount of sympathy for Georgiana, who was clearly trying to put on a brave face under very trying circumstances. Elizabeth therefore took it upon herself to keep the conversation flowing during breakfast, mostly by regaling the table about a variety of her pratfalls.

According to the plan that she and Charlotte had made prior to breakfast, Charlotte asked Georgiana if she wanted to watch a movie while Elizabeth studied for a few hours. Elizabeth suspected that Georgiana agreed only because Darcy had gently stated that _he_ also felt like watching a movie.

Elizabeth knew that her education came first, but it was hard to not want to throw the books aside and go join everyone else. When she finally finished studying, it was all Elizabeth could do to not bounce down the stairs, two at a time. She figured that the movie would have just finished. Elizabeth soon made her way to the others, as she had been given explicit directions on how to find entertainment room. Just as she expected, the movie had just finished when she quietly tiptoed into the room. She saw that Richard was also there.

"Well, here comes the most boring person in the house," Richard said, grinning at Elizabeth.

" _Richard…_ " Darcy warned, and Georgiana looked embarrassed. Elizabeth restrained herself to merely raising her eyebrows.

"What? It's true. Who studies when they're on vacation?" Richard protested, as he offered Elizabeth a seat.

"Evidently, those who value their education and career aspirations," Darcy replied dryly.

Richard snorted. " _You_ would say that; you're the biggest nerd I know."

"He's not a nerd!" Georgiana protested loyally.

"Oh, but he is," Richard said, leaning back. "Just ask him about his nerd-of-the-century date."

Elizabeth tried her very best to look nonchalant and disinterested.

"No one here wants to here that story," Darcy said, quite contrary to the actual wants of almost everyone in the room. He stood up, which should have been the signal that the conversation was over.

Except for the fact that everyone else had other ideas.

Charlotte looked at Elizabeth, the sparkle in her eye unmistakable. "Why don't we _all_ share stories of our worst dates ever? It seems unfair to put only Darcy on the spot. I'll go first."

Darcy sighed in exasperation. "Can we at least move elsewhere? I need to stretch my legs."

"We can change locations, but the topic remains the same," Richard said grinning.

"I'll judge the best story!" Georgiana chirped.

By the time they resumed the discussion, the group were out in the garden, and there was lemonade, cheese, fruit, crackers, and a variety of nuts for their enjoyment. Elizabeth noticed that Georgiana, while seemingly more relaxed, still clung to her brother. Georgiana sat down next to him, and seemed reassured by his mere presence. Elizabeth could not help but feeling a surge of anger at George, who hadn't thought twice about taking advantage of a girl who was so obviously young, innocent, and naïve.

 _What a dick,_ Elizabeth thought to herself in disgust.

"I believe Charlotte was going to start. Has anyone called you Charlie?" Richard asked.

"No," Charlotte responded.

"Shall I start by calling you Charlie?"

" _No_ ," Charlotte said emphatically.

At the same time, Darcy said, "Because that wouldn't be confusing at _all_."

Elizabeth smiled, as did Georgiana. "Charlotte, have I heard this before?"

"Of course - it's supposed to be our worst dates ever!" Charlotte looked more at everyone else there as she started her story. "So, I used to go to this cardio class, and there was this guy I met there. He _seemed_ normal and nice, and it really looked like he was flirting with me. For weeks! Texting, emails, at the class…the usual. So we finally plan an actual date, for a Saturday evening. He picks this Mexican restaurant across town and -"

"And she _hates_ Mexican," Elizabeth cut in.

"Mistake number one," Richard said. "Never go any place where you don't like the food."

"The gospel according to Richard Fitzwilliam, verse one, chapter one," Darcy said.

"Just wait, your turn is coming," Richard said.

"I want to hear her story," Georgiana said. "Shush, everyone."

"I _do_ hate Mexican food, and the place was across town, but fool that I was, I say okay. We're supposed to meet there Saturday at seven. I texted him before I left home, just so he knew that I was on the way. No response. I get there. He's not there. At seven thirty, I call him, no answer. No text. Nothing. The waiters are all giving me the side-eye, rightfully so. Why didn't I just get up and leave? I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess. Anyway, I'm on my third margarita by the time he turns up."

"At eight," Elizabeth added. "A full _hour_ late."

"No!" Georgiana gasped.

"You should've just thrown the drink in his face," Darcy said.

"He comes in, an hour late, and not even remotely apologetic. Says he fell asleep, and then woke up and thought that it was odd to have a date with someone _'a couple of rungs down the ladder'_ from what he was used to." Everyone gasped, and Charlotte simply shrugged before continuing her story. "I could only stare in shocked silence, but then it got even better. He pulls a can of beer out of his jacket, starts guzzling it, and then started explaining how he would _'do'_ me on our next date, complete with motions. It was basically porno charades."

"You should've _really_ just thrown the drink in his face," Darcy said, shaking his head.

"Yes, well, you live and you learn. At that stage, I was _happy_ to be a couple of rungs down the ladder from what he was used to. I told him I had to go to the washroom, snuck out to the kitchen, gave cash to the waiter for the drinks and asked to be let out through the back."

While everyone laughed, Georgiana spoke. "I would have died of embarrassment," she said. "I would've been so embarrassed that I'd probably have just sat there until dinner was over. What happened to your cardio class?"

"I switched schedules. No _way_ I was going to see him again, even in a class full of people. Eliza, you're next!"

Elizabeth took a deep breath. It was high time to bring levity to what had happened. "Everyone already knows my worst date," she said nonchalantly, reaching for more lemonade.

Richard looked at her blankly. "We do?"

"You mean I have to find a date _worse_ than the one where a guy tried to drug me?"

Charlotte bit her lower lip, but stayed silent. Richard was difficult to gauge, and Georgiana's breath hitched, but she looked at Darcy for guidance. He didn't disappoint. "Okay, true enough, nothing is ever going to top that in terms of worst date _ever._ But since everyone has to share, you're going to have to go to your _second_ worst date ever."

"I can go next, while Elizabeth thinks," Richard said, easily picking up Elizabeth's intention, as well as Darcy's.

"We've already heard your Victorian prostitute consumption date," Charlotte said drolly.

"That one isn't even in the top ten!" Richard leaned forward, grinning. "So I have a date with this girl I had met at a party. We got to a bar that I know, because, it's always important to have the home team advantage on a first date. Darcy, are you listening?"

Darcy rolled his eyes and waved his hand for Richard to continue.

"She was okay, not bad, but there wasn't much going on between us, you know? I figured that I might as well make the best of the evening, so we go across the road where a band I knew was doing a show."

"I don't get it; if you weren't having fun, why didn't you just go home?" Elizabeth asked.

Richard scoffed. "I'm no quitter, and the night was still young. We get there, I meet this buddy of mine, who's there with two smoking hot girls."

Elizabeth instinctively rolled her eyes, and she was certain that Charlotte did the same. Georgiana took her cue from Darcy's disapproval to look suitably reproachful.

Richard ignored all of their judgment. "We joined those three, and I was able to get the phone number for one of them, but damn, we couldn't do _anything_ that night because I was technically there with someone else. What a waste of an evening."

When a moment had passed and Richard didn't continue, Darcy spoke. " _That's_ your worst date ever? More like _her_ worst date ever. For the life of me, I don't understand what women see in you."

"Somewhere out there," Elizabeth said, "is a woman sitting around with four or five of her friends, telling them the story of this jerk who took her out for a date, only to dump her halfway through the evening to pick up someone else."

"And then everyone bows out from telling their own stories and she wins, because no one is able to top that," Darcy added. "Have some shame, Richard."

"Pfffft, I can't help it if the lot of you are such losers."

"Okay, my turn, and I can promise everyone that _my_ story won't be a backhanded compliment to myself," Elizabeth said. "This was a guy I had a few classes with in second year, and just like in Charlotte's story, this guy _seemed_ so normal and nice. And smart. We talked, we flirted, we were in the same study group, so when he asked me out, I thought this would be fun. He picks me up in this fancy car - it's maybe a ten-minute drive to the restaurant - but he drives round and round the block, so I could 'fully admire' the walnut dashboard."

"Ew," Georgiana said. "I thought guys and their cars was just a thing in the movies."

"One can only dream, my dear," Elizabeth drawled. "I thought maybe the car thing is just this one weird thing about him, but alas. His cell phone rang three times during dinner. It was his ex-fiancé. He answered all three calls. And talked about the apartment they were remodelling. Insisted to me that that didn't mean that they were 'together'. He then spoke for maybe 15 minutes about how the bible was full of coded messages about the existence of aliens. Half way through my dinner, he took my plate away saying that I had eaten enough. That's when I just got up and walked out. _Then_ , it started to rain and I was drenched by the time I got home. He texted me later that night asking what was wrong, and if I wanted to do this again. Ummm, _no._ "

"You have a thing with creepy men," Richard remarked.

"You guys are so gutsy!" Georgiana said. "I would have been so mortified that I would have just sat there."

"You should never let someone treat you badly," Darcy intoned, more parent than sibling, and Elizabeth tried very hard not to be amused.

She smiled at Georgiana, and spoke with far more casual cheer than Darcy. "I think if you're actually in that situation, you'd end up mouthing off the guy, or just walking out. There's a lot more anger you feel in the heat of the moment."

Georgiana looked somewhat doubtful at the thought. "Maybe I'll just call you and ask what I should do," she said guilelessly.

"Okay then, last story," Richard cut in. "Darcy?"

Darcy sighed, and looked both weary and slightly uncomfortable. "Right. So Charles had this friend, whom I had met a few times, and he got it into his head that we would get along, which wasn't one of his brightest ideas. Humouring him wasn't one of _my_ brightest ideas either. So we meet on a Saturday for coffee – which I don't even drink - and we both start off by making a giant mistake, which was in not inventing plans for the rest of the day. I knew that she had nothing else to do, she knew that I had nothing else to do, which would have been okay if the date was so terrible that either of us could just stand up and walk out –"

"Or sneak out through the back?" Charlotte supplied.

"Or that, yes. But it wasn't terrible. It was pleasant. Neither here nor there. Actually, it was fairly boring. We ran out of topics in very short order. But I didn't want to be rude – she _was_ Charles' friend – and thus I might have had some trouble drawing this to a conclusion. She knew I didn't have other plans, I could have hardly invented a meeting."

"Hint: so this was nice, let's do it again some time, _GOOD BYE,_ " Richard said.

"I didn't _want_ to do it again."

"But that's just what you say!" three people chorused in unison.

"Oooh," Georgiana said sympathetically, squeezing Darcy's arm. "I feel embarrassed for you already."

"Thank you, everyone, for the judgment. Next time, I'll use that line. However, on that occasion, I suggested we go for a walk because that would at least move us outside somewhere."

"Yikes," Elizabeth said, "She would have thought you liked her, why else would you suggest prolonging this misery?"

"Yes, that thought struck me as well, unfortunately only after the words had left my mouth. Now that I've suggested this walk, walk we must. We are now _completely_ out of topics, and to fill the silence, I start describing the history of every building we pass that's been there for at least ten years. It turned into a full city tour."

"Oh no, this is like the world's worst Jane's Walk!*"

Darcy grimaced. "It wasn't _like_ the world's worst Jane's Walk. It actually _was_ the worst Jane's Walk ever. But now I was in too deep, I was seeing this out to the bitter end. Fortunately, when we came to the point where the only description I could give was _'and this where I usually do my grocery shopping',_ she stopped, said she had to be somewhere, and left. She didn't even bother with a good bye."

Richard made the letter L with his fingers above Darcy's head. "Single. For. Life."

Charlotte snorted. "Somewhere out there, in the group of friends Eliza was talking about a few minutes ago, someone is telling the story of how this guy made her walk around the city while he droned on about architecture."

"And grocery shopping!" Elizabeth added, as everyone dissolved into laughter.

Georgiana looked at Darcy and Richard. "You two are the worst dates! Charlotte wins this competition hands down."

"But I got drenched!" Elizabeth protested. " _I_ should win!"

"Well, you didn't melt," Charlotte retorted. "I had to sit through porno charades, after being made to wait for an hour."

"My story is still better," Elizabeth groused.

"You guys are so much fun, and so nice," Georgiana said, smiling. "If I move to the city, will you be my friends?"

This time, Elizabeth squeezed Georgiana's arm. "Of _course_ we will."

* * *

 _*On the first weekend of May every year, Jane's Walk festivals take place in hundreds of cities around the world. Jane's Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours_


	23. Is It A Guy?

**Chapter 23: Is It A Guy?**

* * *

Jane rolled a t-shirt and snuck into a gap in her suitcase, before sitting cross-legged on the floor and looking at Charlotte. "Let me get this straight. You actually said no?"

"I was nice about it."

"And strong. And dignified," Elizabeth said. She handed Jane a pair of running shoes that she had carefully wrapped inside a bag.

"Lizzy, I'm not sure I have space for an extra pair of shoes. I already packed the blue pair you gave me." Jane set the shoes aside, and looked at her. "Did you speak to Edward?"

"You spoke to Edward?" Charlotte also echoed.

" _He_ spoke to _me._ He said that he was really proud of how you conducted yourself," Elizabeth said, beaming at Charlotte. "And the usual, of course, about how your not coming back is a huge loss, how you had a lot to offer, and all that…but he said all that to you anyway. What he told me was about how dignified you were about all of this, and how he knows you're going to go places in life."

Charlotte smiled. "Edward was always good to me, despite what everyone else says about him. It was the right decision though. No matter how good or smart Edward is, or how much I love working with you Elizabeth, this was the right call to make. I wouldn't be happy working there, after what happened. I'd always be watching my back, especially with Caroline."

"That means you _can_ come on tour with me!" Jane exclaimed. "It's not too late for us to look at tickets for you!"

Charlotte smiled. "The idea is lovely Jane, but I don't think I can afford to travel and stay anywhere close to your tour itinerary. You're doing the big cities in three continents. I don't think I could manage that, even as a ballet troupe groupie!"

Jane rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Damn! There goes my plan of having an extra suitcase," Jane said, flipping her hair and eliciting giggles.

"You know that no one will ever believe that you're so sneaky, right? When's your flight again – Wednesday evening?"

"More like Thursday at dawn."

"We'll miss you," Elizabeth said in a small voice. This was the first time that Jane was going to be gone for so long on tour, but with her promotion to first soloist, it was only natural that she was required for entire tour. Elizabeth was delighted for Jane, but also knew that she would dearly miss her elder sister.

Jane reached over and hugged her. "It's only going to make Christmas more special when I'm back! Honestly, I'm so scared at the thought of being alone, without either of you to lean on. I'm going to be such a giant mess!"

Elizabeth hugged her back. "You are going to be nothing short of AMAZING. Jane, you were born to do this. I'm so excited for you, and _so_ jealous of everyone who gets to watch you guys!"

"Eliza is right; you've come so far through sheer talent and determination. I know it's work, but enjoy this well-deserved tour. It's a _huge_ accomplishment."

"Charlotte, what about you? Have you decided what you're going to do? Are you meeting with Darcy? Have you spoken to him?"

As Jane questioned Charlotte, Elizabeth got up off the floor and sank into an old, comfortable armchair; Jane had the biggest room in the house, and consequently, the nicest furniture. Elizabeth let her thoughts wander, as Charlotte had already given her the details. She looked at her sister and her best friend, thinking about how much things were changing for both of them. Elizabeth felt like a child, knowing that she would be saying goodbye to both of them soon, while each of them moved forward with their careers. It was a bittersweet feeling, because while she was surging with pride for both of them, she was also keenly aware of the loss each of them moving away would mean to her.

But Elizabeth was not a creature who wallowed in sorrow, especially in company. She tuned back to the conversation at hand.

"...Friday morning," Charlotte was saying.

"Hmm…so it's not part of his law firm, right?" Jane asked. "I feel so silly, not knowing how these things work. Would you be like Mary Crawley?"

"Who?"

Jane frowned. "Mary Crawley, from _Downton Abbey_."

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh my goodness Jane, I can't fathom how you managed to get to the end of that show!" All the response Elizabeth received was Jane sticking her tongue out at her.

"It's not silly to not know; I only knew what estate management because we did a small part of it for Edward and Angela…Angela Stewart, the other partner," Charlotte clarified when Jane looked at her in confusion. "And I should say 'the firm', since I'm no longer part of that 'we'. At Gardiner Stewart it was mostly liaising with the actual estate management firm, but thankfully I know _something_ about it through them."*

Jane snapped shut the suitcase. "Darcy told Lizzy that George Wickham's original plans were to take over as Pemberley's estate manager, right?" When Elizabeth nodded, Jane continued. "Okay, so start at the beginning, Charlotte. I'm sorry this is so confusing for me. What exactly is Darcy suggesting?"

"Hmmm…well. He already has an estate manager, obviously, but that gentleman won't be around too much longer, and Darcy said that they were looking at finding and grooming a replacement soon. Darcy said that he was _very_ impressed with my resourcefulness, ability to problem solve, and _especially_ my discretion," Charlotte said beaming, "and I already have a background in HR. He offered me the position of assisting the current estate manager. I'd understudy him, and hopefully, if all goes well, I'll be able to take over when the time is right."

"Charlotte, that's incredible!" Jane gushed. "What an awesome opportunity for you! Have you said yes? I'm so happy for you!"

"Well, I must say I'm glad that my stone-cold rationality and practicality is finally being appreciated," Charlotte said dryly. "Apparently, being the quietest person in the room has some uses."

"Charlotte!"

"I'm joking, I'm joking! I've already said yes inside my head, though I haven't informed Darcy of it. He wanted to meet formally, discuss salary and timing and base location and blah blah blah, thus the Friday meeting. But who are we kidding? Of _course_ I'm going to say yes! I finally get to do something other than being a paper pusher, be valued for being _me_ , and I can even learn horseback riding! Of course there'll be a steep learning curve, and long hours and lots of hard work, but I'm excited. Like, actually, genuinely excited!"

Jane jumped up to hug Charlotte, and Elizabeth smiled, giving the two of them space to bask in the happy news.

Elizabeth ran her fingers through her hair. She wondered if she would perhaps be seeing more of Darcy instead of less of Charlotte. No, that would be less than unlikely, Elizabeth thought; it was not as if Darcy and Charlotte would gather around their kitchen table to discuss business. She hadn't seen or heard from Darcy since he had driven them back to the city the past Sunday, together with Georgiana. Of course, she had heard from Georgiana repeatedly, but she didn't mention her brother once, and Elizabeth was too embarrassed to ask.

Elizabeth had to admit that she had been thinking more and more about Darcy in the past few days. Either Darcy had planned it, or by some mysterious quirk of fate, he had never been alone with Elizabeth for the rest of their stay at Pemberley. She had always found herself with Darcy and at least two of the three others that made up the group.

Notwithstanding that, however, Elizabeth had never been more taken with a person. Now that she realised that Darcy was really more awkward in her presence as opposed to being arrogant, she found herself feeling that it was charming and funny. And when he wasn't being awkward, he was smart and interesting with a very dry wit that she enjoyed challenging and sparring with. He was someone she wanted to get to know better and spend more time with. Elizabeth pulled out her phone and refreshed it, which greeted her with no new emails, messages, or missed called. She sighed.

"Lizzy?"

 _Maybe she should send him a message…_

"Hmm…?"

"Lizzy? What are your plans?"

"Hmm…maybe I should send him a message…" Elizabeth distractedly, refreshing her messages for the second time.

"Lizzy! _Him?!"_ Jane asked loudly, bringing Elizabeth back to reality.

Elizabeth tried her level best to not blush and shrug her shoulders nonchalantly. "Nothing, I just…"

Two pairs of narrowed eyes looked at her.

 _"Him?"_

* * *

On Saturday, Georgiana wanted Elizabeth to come shopping with her, and Elizabeth was happy to oblige her. Charlotte joined them much later, since she had already made other plans. Initially shy and hesitant, Georgiana had opened up as they spent more time together, and Elizabeth was delighted with the younger girl. Georgiana was bubbly and unaffected, with a naïveté that was innocent without being silly. Darcy or no Darcy, Elizabeth was very happy to have started a friendship with Georgiana, and hoped that she would be able to help Georgiana break out of her shell.

Elizabeth did not buy anything; the trip to Derbyshire had almost guaranteed frugal living for several months to come. After Georgiana was satisfied with her haul, Elizabeth took her to see a pop-up art exhibit, where Charlotte joined them. They both learnt that Georgiana was a budding photographer, and Georgiana insisted that they join her for dinner where she could show them some of her photos. Elizabeth happily agreed until she realised that Georgiana's idea of dinner was to go to her place and order take out.

Her place being, in fact, _Darcy's_ place. Elizabeth felt embarrassed, recalling the last time she had been there. She couldn't imagine that Darcy would be comfortable seeing her walking through his front door; starting on a fresh slate was one thing, but turning up at his house was a whole other matter.

Charlotte, with no such qualms, readily agreed, and it fell on Elizabeth to wonder aloud if they wouldn't be intruding on Darcy by having a loud dinner at his home and disturbing whatever it was that he was doing. She was assured by Georgiana that Darcy was away with unnamed friends, and with no excuses that she was able to voice out loud, Elizabeth found herself at Darcy's place.

Darcy wasn't home, just as Georgiana had promised.

Georgiana was giddy with excitement in showing them her work, and Elizabeth and Charlotte were both able to genuinely compliment her. The black and white photographs that Elizabeth had first observed at the house turned out to be Georgiana's work as well, and Elizabeth told her that between her music and photography, Georgiana was overflowing with an abundance of talent.

Dinner was a lovely, cozy affair, and the three of them watched a rerun of _Groundhog Day,_ while simultaneously talking and going through an array of photos that Georgiana had taken.

"You've met Charles' sister Caroline, right?"

At the expression on Elizabeth and Charlotte's faces, Georgiana squealed with delight. "She messaged me yesterday wanting to spend time with me, and I am _so_ glad that we did this instead. She'd never sit around watching movies with me, and her taste in clothes scares me. No, really, it does."

Elizabeth laughed. "Caroline is on the cutting edge of fashion," she said, while picking up a stack of photographs. "Have you ever thought about exhibiting some of these?"

Georgiana shuddered. "Oh no! That's scary. I just take pictures for fun. It's…it helps me relax."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "Well, you're very, very lucky at being so good at something you just do for fun. Do you print all your photos?"

Georgiana blushed and mumbled a thank you. "I found this book that said it was a good way to learn the art, so Darcy made a darkroom at Pemberley for me. I find it soothing to go through that process myself. I should have shown it to you when we were all there!" She walked away and came back with the shopping bag from earlier that day. "Charlotte, do you want to see what we got?"

"Well, I am definitely _not_ at the cutting edge of fashion, but I would love to see. Show me all!"

Elizabeth exchanged a smile with Charlotte at Georgiana's elation.

Elizabeth went through the photos she had picked up, occasionally offering a comment or a story about one of Georgiana's purchases. She stopped altogether when she came across a close-up photo of Darcy. He was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and laughing at something or someone off camera. Elizabeth sighed unconsciously. She had been so afraid that Darcy would be there when they came and when she found out that he actually wasn't home, she realised how disappointed she was. On the way to Georgiana's bedroom earlier she had seen the stairs leading to Darcy's room on the top floor, and Elizabeth had been lost in thought wondering everything from where he was to whether the robe she had worn was still hanging on the same hook in his room. She had seen a briefcase downstairs, and recalled seeing Darcy with it when he had met Edward many moons ago. She wondered how his week had been. Elizabeth wondered if he was staying away on purpose, because of her being there. She wondered if he thought of her at all. Elizabeth looked at the photo. _Where are you,_ she wondered. If she messaged him, what would she even say, Elizabeth asked herself.

 _…hi, we just watched Groundhog Day at your place. Had a lovely day with Georgiana. Just wanted to let you know…_

UGH. It was pathetic, just forming the sentences inside her head.

 _Elizabeth Bennett, why are you so useless at life?_

Elizabeth wanted to hit herself. She briefly wondered if it would be a terrible idea to look for a self-help book. There was bound to be some person more competent than her out there, who had published some useful tips.

 _"Elizabeth?"_

"Huh?" she looked Georgiana blankly, not having the foggiest idea what she had missed.

Georgiana looked at her quizzically, while Charlotte merely smirked. Elizabeth moved a bunch of photos to the top of the stack, trying to appear as normal as she could.

"Are you okay? What were you thinking about?"

"Uh…nothing. Sorry. My mind just wandered. What did I miss?"

"She was probably thinking of –"

"Charlotte!" Elizabeth yelped.

"What? I didn't say anything!" Charlotte exclaimed, laughing.

Georgiana looked from Elizabeth to Charlotte, and then back again. She bit her lip for a second, and then tried to hide a smile. "Is it a guy?"

"No!" Elizabeth said, and her voice sounded a bit too high, even to her own ear. She tried again. "No. No. No," Elizabeth laughed. "No, no, there's no guy. No. No guy. No. No. It's not a guy."

"Really?" Georgiana asked, tilting her head to a side. "Because you said no maybe ten times," she added, giggling. "Are you _sure?_ "

Elizabeth sighed, trying to retrieve what little dignity she had left. "I'm going to stick to a single yes."

That turned out to be another bad choice of words. Charlotte looked at her with eyes too wide to be innocent. "Single on purpose? Because there are ways to change that. _And_ candidates."

Georgiana grinned. "If you don't want to be single, if there's a guy, tell us! We can help! Or, I'm sure Charlotte already knows, so tell me! I can help. Or I can _try_ to help. Or I can listen. I'll take these absolutely _stunning_ photos of you and you can post them on Facebook for him to see! Is he on Facebook? Can you show me a picture? I _promise_ I won't look at his name. Just a photo, so I can picturize the story in my head."

Charlotte was howling with laughter at that point, clutching her stomach, saying something completely incomprehensible between her hysterics.

 _"Guys, stop!_ There is _NO_ guy. So I don't need _ANY_ help. I am _DELIGHTED_ to be single. And it's getting late. We should be leaving. I don't want to catch the last train with all the weirdos."

Georgiana had joined Charlotte in the laughter. "The lady doth protest too much, me thinkst," she said, and wiped away a tear. She looked behind Elizabeth, and her smile widened even more. "Darcy! You're back! I was laughing so hard that I didn't hear you come in. I had _so_ much fun with Elizabeth and Charlotte today! Do you think you could drop them back home? That way they can stay a bit longer."

Elizabeth knew that her face must be a distinct shade of scarlet, and she felt hot around her neck. She didn't _dare_ turn around.

* * *

*Here's some sites that speak about modern day estate management:

1) triple w, eden private staff dot com /2016/08/inside-world-estate-manager/

2) triple w, forbes dot com /sites/morganbrennan/2012/11/01/modern-day-downton-abbey-inside-the-super-secret-world-of-estate-management/#2754830e29b0


	24. Minimum Threshold

**Chapter 24: Minimum Threshold**

* * *

"Is that for your next class?" Charlotte asked, barely looking like she was awake. She started to pour some cereal into a bowl.

"Uh-huh. I'm practically done."

"Have you been studying all morning?"

"Mmm…yeah. Pretty much," Elizabeth said. She used the break offered by Charlotte to pick up her phone again. She looked at the last message she had sent, maybe forty minutes ago.

 _You can't keep sneaking up on people like that_

No response yet. Elizabeth frowned, tossing her phone away.

"What's going on?"

"I texted Darcy, and he hasn't responded yet," Elizabeth said.

"Oooh, is this about last night? I'm sure he didn't hear anything. What did you text him?"

"He has sonar hearing, remember? Of _course_ he heard me. I messaged him saying that he couldn't keep sneaking up on people like that."

Charlotte looked dubious. "Yeah, that'll have him running to you. Why not something…less forceful?"

"It's not forceful!" Elizabeth protested. "It had to sound like me, not some…some…ugh. I didn't know how else to start a conversation."

"Right. Relax. It's Sunday. He's probably sleeping in."

Elizabeth picked up her phone again, and started scrolling through the messages. "Have you looked at your messages? Jane texted us earlier. She says…" Elizabeth paused to open the message. "…she says that she found – _AAAAH!_ " She dropped the phone in surprise as it beeped once more.

"What?!"

"Darcy!"

 _Darcy: I beg your pardon?_

Elizabeth bit her lower lip. She had mapped out the dialogue in her brain over an hour ago, but now found herself at a loss.

 _This is the second time you've sneaked up on me._

 _Much to my disadvantage._

 _It's unfair._

Elizabeth sighed. "So Darcy responded. And I replied. Now we're –"

"Now you're going have to actually talk, because from here, it looks like he's calling you."

Elizabeth yelped in surprise as she saw her phone light up.

"Good luck!" Charlotte sing-songed as she exited the kitchen.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Hello? Darcy?"

"Sorry, I was having a shower. I only saw your message now." Darcy paused while Elizabeth adjusted her mental image. "Since you replied immediately, I thought it was easier to just speak."

Of course he would do that, Elizabeth thought.

"I've never sneaked up on you."

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Sure, if by 'never', you actually mean twice."

"I was in _front_ of you when you were talking about Caroline and staplers," Darcy said.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes before she remembered that Darcy couldn't see her. "Technicalities. In any event, you have no excuse for last night. You should have coughed. Or something. You're supposed to alert people to your presence before they make an ass of themselves."

Darcy chuckled. "I didn't hear anything except for lots of laughing."

"Points for being diplomatic, but patently false. It's been established that you have sonar hearing."

"Notwithstanding that biological impossibility, I didn't hear anything. Maybe I'll ask Georgiana what it is that I missed."

"Your protestations of innocence are not believable in the slightest, and I don't think that Georgiana will tell on me even if you asked her." Elizabeth truly did believe that Georgiana would keep information to herself, such as it was.

"That's true, she's loyal to a fault," Darcy said, and paused. "But you're right, maybe I should have let all of you know that I had come home…but apologies are perhaps done better in person."

"Don't I know it," Elizabeth replied, before she realised what she had said out loud. "I mean, I'm sorry, that wasn't supposed to be…"

She could hear the smile. "Don't worry, I get how you meant it. Listen…I'm going to head out to Scriptus in a bit, maybe I can –"

"What's Scriptus?" Elizabeth interrupted him, wondering if it was some kind of club.

"You've never been to Scriptus? It's the annual pen show. Pens, paper, and they usually have some antique typewriters…but it's mostly about fountain pens. New models, vintage ones, repairs, calligraphy…the whole works."

"Seriously? How have I lived in this city for years and years and never known that?" Elizabeth asked in amazement.

"You use fountain pens?" Darcy asked, surprised.

"I have a '67 Sailor Pocket that I got when I was in Japan…it's still a thing of beauty. And I have a few pens that I basically took from my father…it's a somewhat expensive habit, but I love writing with them."

"Haven't ever seen a Sailor Pocket…I have a 1911…it's very smooth, like most Japanese pens. If you've never been to Scriptus before…I can pick you up in twenty, thirty minutes if you'd like to see what it is?"

"I'd love to!"

"Great, I'll pick you up in half an hour."

Elizabeth stared at her phone for five seconds before it sunk in that she had thirty minutes to get dressed. "Charlotte! _Charlotte!_ " Elizabeth yelled, as she ran to her bedroom.

"It's too early for this. It's Sunday," grumbled Charlotte, meeting her in the hallway. "What happened?"

"What would you wear to a pen show?"

"A what?"

"A pen show. It's called Scriptus. Darcy's picking me up in half an hour. What should I wear?"

"A pen show…so like a nerd festival?"

"It's not a nerd festival! Can you be serious, please?"

"Umm…it's a Sunday, and you're going to a show about…pens. This is _so_ a nerd festival…relax, this isn't the first geeky thing you've both had in common. The more important point is, is this a date?"

Elizabeth looked at Charlotte blankly. "We didn't…I don't _think_ it is. Is it? Is this a date?"

"How about your dark blue jeans, and that mustard sweater? It's nice and bright."

"Is it a date? Would jeans be too casual? What if it's not a date? Ugh. There should be some kind of flowchart, to guide people through these things."

"Hmm…maybe jeans _will_ be too casual. How about your navy sweater dress?"

"I need heels to pull that off."

"Too dressy," they both chorused together.

With Charlotte's help, Elizabeth eventually settled on a dress that wasn't deemed too dressy, which she paired with leggings and flat ankle boots and the mustard sweater that Charlotte kept insisting on.

"If you can, at some point, send me a text and confirm whether it's a date or not, okay? I'm going to be dying of curiosity here."

* * *

As it turned out, Elizabeth did not text Charlotte for quite a while.

The day ended up being full of surprises. Despite being a bundle of nerves, Elizabeth did a remarkable job of hiding it. She took her vintage Sailor with her, with the express purpose of using it as an ice-breaker, and it did not let her down. The Sailor led to Darcy sharing with her a vintage pen that his grandfather had previously owned. Before she knew it, the nerves had disappeared, the shyness and jitters eased away, and they were soon talking nineteen to the dozen, first about pens, to her stay in Japan, to Darcy's vacation there with Charles, and then on to a variety of other topics.

Once they got to Scriptus, Elizabeth found the show fascinating. They both talked and walked around for hours, though only one of them had the purchasing power and disposable income to indulge. Elizabeth didn't get depressed about that though; she knew where her career aspirations, and had hopes of one day being able to afford luxuries. For now, she was happy to simply experience and learn.

Darcy had asked her if she was hungry an hour or so in, and Elizabeth had said no. Partially, it was because she genuinely wasn't hungry. But it was also because a little part of Elizabeth feared that if they left to grab some food, the day would draw to a close sooner than later. Darcy declared that he also wasn't particularly hungry, and they were both then left to stand by those statements for the better part of the day.

Elizabeth broke before Darcy did, though she gave herself credit for lasting until late afternoon. "So…I _might_ be hungry."

" _Might?_ Do you want to wait and watch the raffle while you figure out if you are or aren't hungry?" Darcy asked, deadpan.

"Oh my goodness, okay fine, I am _famished_. We need to go find some food, preferably immediately."

Darcy sighed audibly in relief. "I was wondering how much longer you could go on without food. I've been hungry for a while now."

"Darcy! You're an idiot – why didn't you say something? You _do_ know that mental telepathy isn't a recognised means of communication, right?" Secretly though, Elizabeth was delighted that Darcy had quashed his hunger to hang out with her longer. "Do you know anywhere decent nearby?"

"Maybe a ten…fifteen minute drive from here, depending on traffic? There's an Italian place - Fiermosca - have you ever been there?"

"No, but I trust you to know all the good Italian places." At Darcy's quizzical expression, Elizabeth added an explanation. "There were all these Italian menus at your place…figured it was the cuisine of choice."

"Guilty as charged, though Fiermosca's menu isn't there because they don't deliver."

They reached Darcy's car, and they both fell silent for a few moments. Darcy spoke first, as he started driving. "There's hardly any traffic, we'll be there in ten minutes, maybe even less. Should I drive round and round the block for you to _fully admire_ the dashboard, which I must admit is not walnut?" he added lightly.

Elizabeth looked at Darcy. There were many witty remarks that came to her mind as responses. But she rejected them all, opting instead to take the bull by its horns. "So…this is a date then?"

Darcy's hands may or may not have frozen imperceptibly; Elizabeth couldn't tell, as her eyes were trained on his face which, quite perceptibly, froze. Deer-in-the-headlights was the expression that came to Elizabeth's mind.

"This…it…well…"

Here I go, Elizabeth thought, taking a deep breath. "I _can_ admire the non-walnut dashboard, if that's the minimum threshold for a date."

Darcy's face broke into a smile that was slow, relieved, and happy all over.

* * *

 **A/N:** If anyone is curious, this is the pen that Elizabeth mentions - It's the fountain pen that got me hooked!

peytonstreetpens dot com backslash sailor-pocket-fountain-pen-1967-21k-medium-nib-black-w-gold-trim-excellent-works-well. dot html


	25. Jinx

**Chapter 25: Jinx**

* * *

"How was it?"

"Jane, it was the _best!"_ Elizabeth gushed.

"Oh, Lizzy, I'm so glad," Jane said, her voice filled with relief. "I'm so happy that both of you are past all the misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Truly."

"So am I, believe you me. We talked and talked and talked and…it was the best. If anyone had wondered before whether I liked Darcy or not, well, wonder no more."

"Lizzy, I wish I was there with you just so I could hug you!"

"Well, honestly, I'm a bit afraid of screwing this up. And I also don't want to get sidetracked from my final year. I can almost see the finish line, I don't want to jeopardise that. Plus, I'm still a student and he's…well, he's exactly not that. I know I'm going to feel insecure and odd about my currently very limited purse strings. I didn't really give this much thought…I can't dream of picking up the kind of tabs he can…you know that meal for two at Fiermosca came up to - "

"Oooh," Jane cut in. "Fiermosca's pricey! I've been there a few times…Lizzy, all your dates won't be at Fiermosca's…he was probably just trying to impress you."

"I wanted to take things slow, which Darcy agreed to, though of course I'm wondering what that even means given that we didn't exactly find a definition for the term. And he wanted to wait until he…we…said anything about seeing each other to Georgiana. Darcy doesn't want her to think the only reason I'm friends with her is her brother. I totally get that; I wouldn't what the poor girl to feel awkward with me, or _because_ of me. And…what would he even tell her? We've gone on _one_ date. I…I'm nervous and I don't want to jinx anything."

"Fair. Remember Lizzy, wealth doesn't define a person. You don't have _any_ reason to feel insecure. You're as good as anyone out there! When are you seeing him again?"

"We're having dinner tonight, but Georgiana's also going to be there, so technically that won't be a date. Darcy asked if I wanted to go swimming again on Wednesday, and do dinner afterwards."

"That sounds good, doesn't it? Maybe you can pick where dinner will be?"

"It's too bad that all of this wasn't happening in the summer, or even the spring. We could have gone on a picnic, which is totally doable on my budget."

Jane guffawed. "Oh, Lizzy. I'm _glad_ it isn't summer or spring! You know that the best way to chase a guy _away_ is with your cooking, right? Until I'm back to pack your basket for you, or unless Charlotte is there, please stick to outside food when you're with Darcy."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Elizabeth growled, mostly in exaggerated annoyance. Jane was absolutely right that Elizabeth and cooking did not mix very well. "I also have exams coming up, so I don't think I'll be seeing _too_ much of anyone until after that."

"It'll be Christmas soon."

"So it will be. By the way, remember Anne De Bourgh?"

"No…should I?" Jane asked quizzically.

"George had said Darcy was engaged to her? His cousin? Justice Catherine De Bourgh's daughter?"

"Oh right! I had completely forgotten about that, what with the…well…I would never have remembered. What did Darcy say?"

"He laughed so hard that I thought he'd get a cramp."

"Really? I'm so _glad_ there was nothing to that story!"

"Yeah…he said his aunt had mentioned something of the sort when they were much younger, but that there was no conceivable that either he or his cousin would engage in consanguinity."

"Con…what? Your vocabulary is too much for this humble dancer, Lizzy."

Elizabeth laughed. "Ha! It's not my vocabulary, it's Darcy's. And hardly humble, my jet-setting sister!"

"Lizzy, just explain to me what it means!"

"Right. A consanguineous marriage is when you marry your own cousin, or some other close relative. Anyway, enough about my life. How's the tour?"

"Lizzy, it's fantastic!" The excitement was palpable when Jane spoke. "Being on a full tour – there's nothing like it! It's a bit exhausting, the constant packing and moving, but it's also such a tremendous experience," Jane paused, and then spoke again, her voice lower. "I…I still miss Charles. I really do. But I don't regret making this decision. Not in the slightest. I just…I wish he could see me."

"It's going to work out for the both of you. I'm sure that he just needs a little bit more time to realise. Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Elizabeth stated, not having anything in the way of facts to make Jane feel better about the situation.

Jane sighed. "Or forgetful."

* * *

As it turned out, Elizabeth's worries about jinxing her budding romance with Darcy did not materialise…at least not for a while.

The time had come for Charlotte to relocate to Pemberley. She was moving into a unit that had been used by the previous stable manager. It wasn't too close to the main house, which gave Charlotte a fair degree of privacy, but it was situated near enough to be convenient for her job. It went without saying that when the time was right, she would have the opportunity to move into the house that the current estate manager occupied, unless Charlotte decided to invest in nearby property.

Elizabeth had no question in her mind that Charlotte would master the craft sooner than later. The move was a significant change in both their lives. Charlotte made her promise to come and visit, and visit _often_ – Darcy or no Darcy. Elizabeth agreed to do so, as soon as her semester ended. It was hard to hold back her tears. Charlotte was her best friend in the whole world, and Elizabeth knew that she would feel the loss keenly. It was going to take time to get used to an increase in texts and calls and emails in place of the in-person relationship they now shared.

Darcy and Elizabeth had planned to drive to Pemberley on Friday to drop Charlotte; Georgiana had decided to tag along at the last minute.

Elizabeth had helped Charlotte unpack on Saturday. Charlotte had invited her to spend the night, but she had barely set the place up for herself, let alone guests. Elizabeth also thought that Charlotte might want to savour the place on her own for a while, and therefore retired to Pemberley.

Georgiana was practicing what sounded like a difficult piece of music on the piano, and Elizabeth had seated herself on the couch nearby, trying to get ahead on some course reading. Darcy had tried to convince her – unsuccessfully – to use his study. He had been equally unsuccessful in setting up a study space for her in the library. It was comforting to hear Georgiana play, and knowing that she would soon be alone, Elizabeth wanted to enjoy being in the presence of others.

So lost was she in her book that Elizabeth didn't notice someone was right next to her until she felt a throw cover her shoulders. She looked up in surprise as Darcy sat down next to her.

"You're sitting next to an open window and it's decidedly cold outside, not to mention the rain," he said quietly, by way of explanation.

Elizabeth could not help but blush. "Thank you. What can I say, never knew that trust law could be so riveting! I thought you had some calls to make?" She asked, scooting over only ever so slightly.

"I partially drafted a factum instead. No one wants to spend their Saturday evening discussing work with me, I figured. I also spoke to Richard, which was enough to raise my blood pressure such that I've abandoned the factum for now."

"Oh dear…what happened? You two didn't fight, did you?"

"No. I just get tired of reminding him that while we both are nursing grudges and entertaining grand fantasies of revenge, we're not in the middle of _The Count of Monte Cristo_ , and retribution of the kind he is imagining is ridiculous and unhelpful."

"Make that fantasies all _three_ of us are harbouring. Any leads?"

Darcy shrugged. "Reports of him surfacing in some countryside somewhere a few weeks ago, but that trail's gone cold…if it was ever a genuine lead to begin with. Small towns are not his style. It's exhausting just thinking about him, let alone having to deal with Richard on the topic. Anyway, forget about all that. How are you holding up?" He gave her a penetrating look when she looked at him questioningly. "I know Charlotte moving here hasn't been easy on you."

"I'll be fine; it just takes some getting used to. I can always come and see her here."

"You'll have more reasons than just Charlotte to come to Derbyshire I hope," Darcy said.

Elizabeth looked at Darcy playfully. "What do _you_ think?"

"I hope, rather than think," Darcy said, voice even lower than earlier.

The depth of the statement took her off-guard. "It's…" Elizabeth looked at Darcy and tried again. "I'd like to think that we'll see a lot more of each other, whatever the location."

She was rewarded by such a smile that Elizabeth felt her heart constrict. It was only the sound of piano music that kept her from doing anything else. The two of them sat on the sofa for a while longer, engrossed in each other until a servant came to summon Darcy away on some query that Elizabeth could barely understand. She was just letting her mind wander about what Christmas could be like, when Georgiana interrupted her.

"How did you not just get kissed?!"

 _"What?"_ Elizabeth asked, startled.

Georgiana left the piano and came and plopped down on the spot that Darcy had just vacated. "I know I'm naïve, but I'm not _blind._ You. And my brother. There's something there, right? Between you two? I was kind of wondering earlier…I even asked Richard, but he told me in no uncertain terms to butt out of other people's affairs, so I thought I was on the wrong track…but…there _is_ something between the two of you, right? Right? _Right?_ " Georgiana's voice had taken on an increasingly chirpy, hopeful tone.

Elizabeth buried her face in her hands. "He's going to kill me for telling you…we agreed to take things slow…" she mumbled.

"Oh my goodness, this is so great! It's so exciting!" Georgiana squealed in delight, almost crushing Elizabeth in a hug. "I'm so glad I like you!"

Elizabeth laughed, despite her embarrassment. "I'm so glad you like me too! And an added bonus – I think you're great. I _definitely_ like you."

"I promise I won't tell Darcy we talked about this. I'll be like…I'll be as silent as the grave."

Given Georgiana's enthusiasm, it was hard for Elizabeth to imagine that this would be a secret that would be kept from Darcy for too long, despite Georgiana's best intentions. "Or, how about I tell Darcy that we had this conversation, and you wouldn't have to pretend?"

Georgiana grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that! See, this is why I like you!"

* * *

It had been two weeks since Charlotte had moved to Derbyshire. Elizabeth missed her dearly, but they still managed to stay in touch with each other regularly, mostly via phone calls. She also enjoyed reading emails from Charlotte. Her dry humour was intact, and it was obvious to Elizabeth how much Charlotte was relishing this new chapter in her life.

Elizabeth's own life was changing due to the increasing amounts of time she was spending with Darcy, as well as with Georgiana to a lesser extent. Brother or sister frequently came up with something for them to do, somewhere to take her…something to allow them to see each other.

This evening, Darcy had picked her up after her classes. They had made plans to go watch a movie that Darcy had wanted to; it had turned out to be a documentary on the world's oldest submerged cities. As much as the subject matter had piqued Elizabeth's interest, she found herself distracted by Darcy's presence. She wanted them to be alone together, which, thus far, they had rarely done. They were frequently in public, or with Georgiana when not. Elizabeth had spent the entire time folded into Darcy's side, wishing on the one hand that he wasn't such a gentleman, and on the other hand understanding that he was taking things slow precisely at her request. On top of that Elizabeth knew she was falling for him, and that she liked him too much to rush into things and make a mistake. But taking things too slow could be as bad as taking things too fast, and Elizabeth knew that the ball was in her court if she wanted to change speed.

"Were you bored?" Darcy asked apologetically, as they reached his car.

"No! It's a fascinating subject," Elizabeth said. She felt her cellphone vibrating in her pocket, but opted to ignore it. "It's just odd that we had to watch the whole thing in German, with subtitles that moved at the speed of light. It was like sitting for an exam; I've rarely had to speed read through a movie like that."

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry you didn't have fun. I didn't know –"

Elizabeth laughed, grabbing Darcy's hand and pulling him towards her. "I'm teasing you. Don't take me so seriously. I thought the movie was great – now I want to go scuba diving in the Peloponnese!" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, to emphasize the fact that she wasn't annoyed. Her phone vibrated again, and again, Elizabeth ignored it.

Darcy didn't let go of her, but held her face in his hands. "It's hard for me to not take you seriously…I want so…I'm…I…" Darcy paused, biting his lower lip.

Elizabeth took hold of his hands gently. "Darcy –"

He cur her off. "Why don't we go? To Greece, that is."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, confused. She had been almost certain that…

"In the spring. Let's go see Pavlo…whatever it's called. You just said you wanted to go scuba diving in Greece."

"You want us to take a holiday together?"

"Unless…"

It was Elizabeth's turn to bite her lip, before she made up her mind. She was still holding his hands, and she pulled them behind her, leaning against the car and pulling Darcy on to her, so that not even a sliver of light could escape. "I think, before we go scuba –"

Her phone vibrated again, momentarily distracting Elizabeth. Darcy was looking at her with fathomless eyes.

"I think," Elizabeth repeated, "before we go scuba diving, you should take me home."

"You want me to take you home," Darcy repeated slowly.

"I want –"

Her phone vibrated _again._ They were so close that even Darcy felt it.

"Ugh, this stupid phone! I'm sorry. What I _want_ is…what I want is for us to spend some time together, alone. And at my place – "

This time, it was Darcy's phone that they both felt.

Suddenly, Elizabeth's irritation started to turn into worry.

"This doesn't feel like coincidence," Darcy said, stepping back and taking out his phone. "It's Charlotte," he said, handing Elizabeth the phone without bothering to answer it.

"Hello?"

 _"Elizabeth?_ Thank heavens I got you!"

"Charlotte, what's wrong?"

"Jane's been trying to get a hold of you. You didn't answer her messages or calls."

"What's wrong? Is Jane okay?" As Elizabeth's voice rose in panic, Darcy came to stand beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Did something –"

"It's not Jane," Charlotte said, cutting her off. "Your mother called Jane, who's all the way in Berlin, in a state of high panic. It's Lydia. She's been arrested for possession with the intent."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! Work was insane, and then I went on vataion, and then the work insanity continued! I promise to try harder!_


	26. A Man Not To Be Trusted

**Chapter 26: A Man Not To Be Trusted**

* * *

Elizabeth was afraid to look at Darcy. He, of course, took this to mean that she didn't hear him, because he took his eyes off the road briefly to look at her and repeat his question. "She was arrested _hours_ ago, and you're only finding out about this now why, exactly?"

Elizabeth winced at the incredulity in his voice, even though it was no different to the absolute astonishment she had felt when she had spoken to Kitty. Of course, Darcy had been on a series of phone calls of his own (fortunately) and had clearly missed most of her exchange. They were in Darcy's car, on their way to Hertfordshire where Lydia, Kitty, and her mother lived. That Lydia had been arrested in her hometown just made matters worse.

"Apparently, Lydia was arrested sometime early afternoon. She called Kitty around one. Either Lydia didn't understand or let on how serious it was, or Kitty didn't quite grasp what was told to her, I'm really not sure." Elizabeth paused as her phone beeped. It was a message from Jane, asking Elizabeth to keep her posted. She rubbed her temples before continuing. "The best I can make out, Kitty wasted some time at the police station before calling mother. And mother, in her infinite wisdom, instead of calling someone remotely more capable than herself, goes to the police station herself, ends up fighting with the police because they wouldn't release her precious daughter, and then had this bright idea that Jane would be able to _'sort it all out'_ ," Elizabeth said, making air quotes even though Darcy was concentrating on the road. "And no one had even thought of calling dad until Jane had asked…"

Elizabeth let her voice taper off. She could not begin to imagine how incredibly stupid her mother had been, at this critical juncture. Neither she nor Jane even knew the details behind Lydia's arrest. She had called her mother, but Mrs. Bennet had been so incoherent and hysterical that it was impossible to understand what had happened. Kitty might have been more help, but, in the company of Mrs. Bennet, was unable to carry on a conversation without constant interruptions and Elizabeth eventually gave up.

Darcy made a noncommittal sound, but didn't say anything. Just a few months ago, she may have thought that he was being rude or unfeeling, but now Elizabeth knew him well enough to know that he was deep in thought. When Elizabeth had told Darcy that Lydia had been arrested and she was still stuck in jail, he hadn't given it a second thought. Darcy had wasted no time in stating that he would drive her to Hertfordshire immediately.

Elizabeth was torn. She was grateful that Darcy had taken it for granted that he would be by her side through all of this, instead of abandoning her. But she was also embarrassed and apprehensive that this was how Darcy was going to meet her family. When she herself was ashamed, what would his reaction be?

"I called Dave Irving – one of my classmates at law school. He's a good guy. A friend," Darcy started saying. "Fantastic lawyer. He practices criminal law exclusively; he said he'll make arrangements to come down to Hertfordshire immediately, if we need his help."

"Oh. Right," Elizabeth said. _Lawyers._ For a law student, she had been pretty slow in figuring out that Lydia, arrested for possession and intent, would definitely require legal representation.

"Did Jane tell you if your mother had contacted a lawyer yet?"

"No, Jane didn't mention it, and I doubt that anyone has had the presence of mind to do so. I mean, mother couldn't even get it together to call me, or dad."

"Maybe your father…?"

"I doubt it, though I'll text him and ask."

"Hmm…well, I should be able to manage the bail hearing, if your parents haven't organised anyone…I'm assuming that there will be a bail hearing, given that it's been half a day and counting, and they haven't let Lydia out on her own recognizance," Darcy said.

He mumbled something afterwards about insurance that Elizabeth didn't catch, but she didn't bother asking him to repeat herself. She was too distracted, wondering about bail money. Frantically, she texted her father, and then texted Jane for good measure. It was one thing to expect Darcy to say all the right things to a judge to get Lydia out on bail, but she assumed that someone would have to put down money as bail, and that someone absolutely couldn't be Darcy.

"Darcy, I'm –"

"Who'll be her surety? Your father, I assume? Or your mother?" Darcy sounded doubtful even asking the latter question.

"Dad, probably. But then she'd have to live with him…"

"Most likely, yes. Well, they're going to have to figure that out. I'm no criminal lawyer, but an 18-year-old is not getting out on possession with intent without some kind of house arrest terms at the least," Darcy paused. "You were going to say something when I interrupted you."

"I was going to apologise. You've been driving nonstop…you have your own life, your job, work, and now you've got sucked into this mess and…oh gosh, I am _so_ sorry!"

For the first time in hours, Darcy smiled. "Maybe you've forgotten already, but you apologised about twenty times when we started this drive, and another ten times when we got on the highway. Elizabeth, it's fine. You don't have to apologise even once. I _want_ to be there to help you. What did you think, that I'd just go home, have dinner, go to bed, and leaving you to deal with nightmare on your own?"

* * *

Elizabeth sat on the cold, metal chair at the police station, almost blind with exhaustion. She and Darcy had eaten almost nothing since their respective lunches, and now it was past midnight.

"I left Mum at the coffee shop across the road with Bill. Tried to convince Bill to take her home," Kitty said, sitting down next to her.

"Bill Collins is here?" Elizabeth croaked.

"Yeah…Mum called him. Anyway, they had muffins and croissants. I got one of each for you and Darcy. Figured you'd be hungry," said a subdued Kitty. She looked tired and as if she could fall asleep standing. "Where is he?"

Elizabeth waved her hand in the direction of the hallway behind her. "Wheeling and dealing with the Chief. I cannot _believe_ that Dad isn't here! Tell me again what he told you when you called him."

"Dad said…he said that it will be good for Lydia to spend a night in jail to learn what _'real life'_ is like, and he'll be here by eight in the morning." Kitty looked around. "Should I go look for Darcy and give him this? He's kind of scary. Maybe _you_ should go."

"Kitty, I think we should let Darcy do what he's doing without interrupting him. He'll come find us when he's done. I can't believe Dad. This is why he didn't answer my calls…he knew that I'd have an aneurysm if he told me that."

"So…how did you two meet? Darcy, I mean. You never said anything…he's really hot…"

"Kitty, sweetheart, maybe later, okay? This is just not the time. Tell me what happened, to the best of your knowledge."

Kitty shrugged. "So…Lydia…promise not to get mad at me? You have to _promise_."

Elizabeth sighed. "I promise."

"When we were at your place, when Jane had her party thing –"

"The gala."

"Right, that thing. So…when Bill told us that you went home with your boyfriend…" Kitty motioned with her head down the hallway, "…and now that I've seen Darcy, I can't blame you…"

"Kitty, focus."

"Right. Right. So. Bill said your boyfriend was sick and so you took him home. Lydia and I figured that maybe you guys had had a fight and that was why you came with George to the thing. And George said you guys were just friends. So –"

"Um, Kitty, do we really need all this backstory?"

"Lizzy! You wanted me to tell things _'to the best of my knowledge'_ ", Kitty said pouting, and Elizabeth nodded tiredly. "So George wanted to take us – me, Lydia, and Mary King – out that night, but Charlotte was being so weird to George, and she forced me to go home with Bill, and then she dragged Mary home with her. Lydia sneaked out with George, but we told Charlotte it was a waiter because she was like a drill sergeant…anyway. Lydia said he was amazing and a ton of fun. She got annoyed with him after that, because he totally ghosted her. But then, like, a month ago we ran into him at a bar near the campus, and he was working on this undercover story about some college professor leaking exam questions or something…anyway, he and Lydia started hooking up after that. It's not like they were exclusive, I don't think, but she was _so_ into him."

"Oh, _no._ _No no no,_ " Elizabeth muttered, burying her face in her hands.

"He asked about you and Charlotte a lot, and we knew nothing of course, except that she got this weird job somewhere in the countryside recently. He scores really great tickets to events, like these super cool raves and concerts and stuff! But you know, I get tired after a while. And I feel so sleepy during the rest of the week. If my attendance falls any lower, they said they'll send a letter to Mum and Dad. So I didn't go to all the places that Lydia went to. All I know is that she went with George to some rave, and she texted me saying that George won tickets to some resort in Mexico for a week, and that they were going to go to Mexico in a month or two. Lydia was supposed to be driving back with him to Hertfordshire. I didn't hear from her again until she got -"

"Elizabeth? Oh, Kitty. Hello," Darcy said, nodding at Kitty. "This is Chief Inspector Markus. He says you can speak to Lydia and see how she is."

Elizabeth wanted to hug Darcy. She couldn't begin to imagine what he had had to say, and how much he must have begged to get such an allowance. Darcy looked as exhausted as she felt.

"Are you okay? You look green," Darcy whispered to her, as Elizabeth stood up to shake the Chief's hand.

Elizabeth nodded. "I'll tell you in a sec."

Kitty awkwardly handed a brown paper bag to Elizabeth. "She got us muffins and croissants," Elizabeth said by way of explanation.

All politeness, Darcy immediately thanked Kitty, embarrssing her. "If we're getting to see Lydia, maybe I should go and call Mum?" Kitty asked nervously.

" _No,"_ Elizabeth said. They didn't need her mother's histrionics at this point.

As the inspector led the way to the holding cells, Elizabeth held Darcy's hand, and pulled him slightly back. He looked at her, concerned.

"It's George. Lydia was hooking up with him, and was supposed to have been driving back with him when she was arrested," Elizabeth whispered. "Darcy, I feel…"

Darcy stopped walking, absolutely horror-struck. And then he enveloped her in a hug, and hard as she tried, Elizabeth couldn't hold it together. She sobbed into him.

"I feel awful! If I hadn't…oh, Lydia! What are we going to do! I just…I can't…"

"Shhh…it's okay. It's going to be okay," Darcy said, and kissed the top of her head. "We'll figure this out, somehow. It's going to be okay."


	27. Meet The Parents - Part 1

**Chapter 27: Meet The Parents - Part 1**

* * *

 **A/N:** I thought that shorter chapters more frequently was better than longer chapters with huge gaps between updates.

* * *

Lydia smelt of vomit; whether it was her own or someone else's, Elizabeth wasn't certain. Her eyes were red, swollen, and raw from crying. Kitty's stale muffins and croissants, left entirely untouched by Darcy and mostly untouched by Elizabeth, were devoured by Lydia inside the car.

"I'm sorry about what happened out there," Elizabeth whispered to Darcy. If he heard her, he did not acknowledge it. Instead, Darcy opened the windows to ease the smell inside the car, and the pit inside Elizabeth's stomach grew bigger. Darcy glanced at the rear-view mirror, and no doubt saw the sorry sight Lydia made.

"Why don't you give her yours?" Darcy told Elizabeth, as he shrugged out of his own jacket, handing it over for Elizabeth to wear. "I can't…" Darcy's voice tapered off.

The way Lydia was dressed, she could easily be mistaken for someone going home after a long night of turning tricks. Nevertheless, she bristled. "She's tired, not deaf," Elizabeth hissed, before turning around to give Lydia her own jacket. Mr. Bennet, seated at the back with Lydia, merely raised an eyebrow.

Moments later, Elizabeth felt bad. She and Darcy had been awake for over a day now, and the last few hours had been the most trying thus far. All he did was voice out loud what everyone else had thought.

"I'm sorry for snapping," Elizabeth said, but Darcy did not respond. There was no manner of acknowledgement from him that he even heard her; all he did was glance at the GPS.

"We're not lost; I can guide us to Meryton," Elizabeth said.

"I know we're not lost," was all the reply she received.

Elizabeth sighed, and looked out the window. She was too exhausted to make any further attempts to thaw Darcy's annoyance. Clearly, he was still fuming. She closed her eyes. When Kitty and Elizabeth had gone into see Lydia in the holding cell, she was in a very, very poor state. The cell was full of junkies and prostitutes and all manner of characters that scared Elizabeth; Kitty was cowering behind her. Lydia was a broken mess.

For all Lydia's faults – and the girl had many – Elizabeth knew that Lydia did not deserve the predicament that she found herself in. Elizabeth had been the one to introduce George Wickham to Lydia; if Elizabeth had so spectacularly failed to realise the true nature of that man, how was Lydia supposed to have done any better?

They had left Lydia to go find Darcy, who had apparently been dozing off on one of the metal chairs. From down the hallway, Elizabeth and Kitty had heard Mrs. Bennet loudly berating Darcy for _'falling asleep at a time like this'_ , with Bill Collins desperately trying to calm her down. Elizabeth had sprinted towards them, but it was Kitty who was able to stop their mother. Kitty came upon them, tried to say something (Elizabeth would never be sure what), and then burst into loud sobs, wailing about what a terrible state Lydia was in. That had finally quietened Mrs. Bennet, and Bill was able to move her elsewhere.

Elizabeth sighed again. _That_ was when she should have apologised to Darcy. However, her mind had been full of Lydia, and instead of apologising, what Elizabeth had done was explain coherently what Kitty had tried to say through tears; namely, that Lydia was in pretty bad shape amongst decidedly dubious characters, and they needed to get her out of there _stat_.

That had been the first disagreement. Elizabeth had wanted to speak to the inspector, speak to any and everyone there, make all the calls in the world, get a magistrate or Justice of Peace or someone to come in to hold a bail hearing.

Darcy had adamantly disagreed. He had pointed out that Lydia would have to be released to a surety, he did not think that Mrs. Bennet was a suitable surety or that she would make the necessary impression on whoever presided over the bail hearing. Darcy had insisted on waiting for her father to arrive.

Elizabeth had argued, and even offered herself as the surety, but Darcy flatly refused to argue such a bail hearing, or do anything to make a bail hearing even happen under those circumstances. He had pointed out that Lydia would then have to live with Elizabeth, and any bail terms would be very difficult to follow given that Elizabeth was in school, worked, and didn't drive.

Much later – _weeks and weeks later –_ Elizabeth would come to realise the innate sensibility of Darcy's stance. However, on this day, she did not. On this day, Elizabeth was tired, hungry, sleep-deprived, emotionally exhausted and laden with guilt. In that state, all Elizabeth could think of was how difficult Darcy was being, when easy solutions were available.

Their second tiff had taken place soon after Mr. Bennet arrived. For some reason – a stupid reason, Elizabeth later surmised – she had thought that Darcy and her father would get along. Instead, they got off to an inauspicious start. Mr. Bennet had remarked upon his arrival that it probably did Lydia _'a world of good spending a night in jail'_ and that in fact, parenting would be a much easier task if children were forced to do a night in jail much earlier on in life. As a joke, it was ill-timed. As a joke in front of a daughter's boyfriend he had never even met, it was in poor taste. Darcy had looked appropriately aghast, and coldly replied that he didn't know that _Scared Straight*_ was a recommended parenting technique. Mr. Bennet's instant response about champagne socialist helped matters not at all, and further commentary was avoided only because Mrs. Bennet had chosen that juncture to rail against Mr. Bennet for wholly unrelated matters. That was when Elizabeth had hissed at Darcy to try and not antagonise her father.

Their third disagreement had been over money. To nobody's great surprise (and despite Elizabeth's text), Mr. Bennet had come without having made any arrangement for bail money. Quite causally, Mr. Bennet had remarked that he could go to the bank and obtain a bank draft, but this meant further delaying the hearing. The only other person with the ability to write out a cheque that very instance had been Darcy – an option Elizabeth's entire family was content with. Elizabeth had argued with Darcy – after all this delay, what was another hour while her father went to the bank? Another hour, Darcy had retorted, would mean that he was even more tired and even less likely to be coherent while making a pitch in a field of law he never practiced, and he wasn't willing to undertake that. Over Elizabeth's vociferous objections, Darcy was the one who had posted bail.

The last fight that had taken place before the car ride was actually between Darcy and Mrs. Bennet.

When Lydia finally walked out, shivering, filthy, and an all-round mess, Mrs. Bennet had smothered her with attention, ordering Kitty to go bring coffee and tea and fresh food (Elizabeth had quietly countermanded those instructions). When Mrs. Bennet tried to get Bill to take Lydia and herself home, Darcy had stepped in, informing Mrs. Bennet that Lydia had strict terms of house arrest and with Mr. Bennet as her surety, Lydia had to go straight to Meryton to Mr. Bennet's home.

That started the next argument, with Mrs. Bennet accusing everyone - particularly Darcy - of misleading her, how she could have been the surety just as easily as Mr. Bennet, how everyone had used her ill, how poor a lawyer Darcy was if he couldn't manage to keep mother and daughter together…there was no silencing Mrs. Bennet when she got into one of her moods.

That is, until Darcy, clearly having lost all semblance of patience ordered Lydia into his car in a tone resembling a drill sergeant, stating that he was driving Lydia to Meryton and everyone else could do as they pleased. Mr. Bennet, cool as a cucumber, gave Bill his keys, asking that his car be driven to Meryton and got into the back seat with Lydia. Left with little choice, Elizabeth had scrambled into the front, abandoning Kitty to deal with a hysterical Mrs. Bennet and a flustered Bill (Kitty later texted Elizabeth to say that she was getting some of Lydia's clothes and then joining them, but Bill and Mrs. Bennet was driving to Meryton directly).

"Lizzy, are we there?"

At Lydia's voice, Elizabeth snapped out of her reverie. She realised that they were at her father's home. The pit inside her stomach made its presence known. Though she should be relieved that Lydia was out of jail, the nonstop bickering had not allowed Elizabeth to feel a modicum of relief. She looked over to Darcy, and saw that he looked fairly awful. His eyes were sunken, and Darcy was a shade or two paler than was normal. Instinctively, Elizabeth reached over and held his hand.

"I can make a bed for you, do you want to lie down for a bit? Maybe have a shower?"

Bill's car drove up next to them.

Darcy shook his head. "I just need some air. I'm going to maybe take a walk around the block first. I'll join you in a while."

"Come on, Lizzy," Mr. Bennet said. "You need to help your sister settle in."

Darcy had been by her side like a rock, Elizabeth realised, until her parents had turned up.

* * *

 _ **** "Scared Straight!"** _is a 1978 documentary directed by Arnold Shapiro. The subject of the documentary is a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with actual convicts. Filmed at Rahway State Prison, a group of inmates known as the "lifers" berate, scream at, and terrify the young offenders in an attempt to "scare them straight" (hence the film's title), so that those teenagers will avoid prison life. The documentary received several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It found that most of the participants did not reoffend. However, studies that compared and evaluated the effects of various Scared Straight programs against a control group have concluded that they were not effective at deterring crime.


	28. Meet The Parents - Part II

**Chapter 28: Meet The Parents - Part II**

* * *

It was probably the quietest Lydia had been in her entire life. Mary, their middle sister, had had the good sense to call in sick, so was on hand to assist with Lydia. Mary said that she would put together a proper breakfast for Lydia, and Elizabeth said she was taking Lydia upstairs to get cleaned up. She could hear her parents arguing outside.

"You should have a shower as well," Mary said, looking her up and down. "There are some clothes you left when you were here last. You're not in much better shape than Lyds."

"Don't call me that," Lydia grumbled. Elizabeth and Mary exchanged a look; it was good to see that the stint in jail hadn't completely zapped Lydia of her personality.

"It's not really fair, my getting cleaned up while poor Darcy has to stew in the same clothes he put on yesterday morning, in anticipation of a very different 48 hours than it's turning out to be."

"Not that I'm an expert," Mary said, "but I always thought that men preferred cleaner women to dirty ones."

"I don't think it would matter in the slightest," Lydia said. "Darcy is scary, and he's had the same frown on the whole morning."

"Hey! Darcy just managed to get you out of jail as fast as he could, which is more than anyone else here has managed to do," Elizabeth snapped. "You better watch what you say about him, and make sure you thank him when he gets back. Not a _word_ about Darcy – from either of you."

Lydia and Mary exchanged a look that only intensified Elizabeth's glare.

"Arguing about Lizzy's boyfriend is perhaps not the best use of our time, and mother is going to be in here any minute now," Mary said.

The thought of putting up with her mother made Elizabeth see the advantage of being in the shower herself. Accordingly, she herded Lydia upstairs, found a change of clothing for both of them, and had a shower herself.

Elizabeth finished her shower in record time, and went to wait for Lydia on Mary's bed. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep in spite of herself, and woke up with a start to find Lydia, dressed in an oversized sweater of Mary's sitting beside her looking contemplative. Elizabeth blinked rapidly, trying to re-orient herself. "Hey Lyds, how're you feeling?"

"He was fun," Lydia said quietly. "I mean, totally, like, no doubt. And hot, obviously. But…"

"Uh-huh," Elizabeth said, almost stunned into silence by a Lydia that was sharing her feelings.

"Everyone gets a guy at some point, doesn't matter how much of a loser you are. Even _I_ knew that. So it was really cool to have this guy who was older and slick and seemed so important be so into _me._ It's not like I thought he was in love me or whatever, but obviously, he must like me, right? He obviously thought I was fun and interesting and happening, why else make all that effort to hang with me?"

Elizabeth's stomach twisted. Lydia's experience in jail must have been so shocking and awful, to cause this level of contemplation.

Lydia scoffed at herself, and fell on to the bed. Elizabeth sat up properly, and covered Lydia with the duvet. "Lydia, whatever happened –"

"Whatever happened, clearly, obviously I really _was_ the loser! He wasn't even with me just for sex. I wasn't even like the hundreds of other chicks out there that average guys settled for. I was way worse than that – I was just some…some…drug mule to him. Someone so daft and stupid and…"

"Lydia, don't say that! This is _not_ a reflection of who you are! George Wickham is the absolute worst of men. The absolute worst of _people._ He is a complete ass who takes advantage of any and every person that crosses his path. Do _not_ let him be the yardstick that determines your self-worth."

Lydia rolled onto her side to look at Elizabeth. "Oh come on, Lizzy. That's all very nice and fine for you to say, with your law degree and your GQ boyfriend and your never-ending zingers. What would you know about –"

"Lydia," Elizabeth interrupted her youngest sister, who was starting to get worked up. "He tried to drug me."

 _"What?!"_

"The night of that gala. And I had _no_ idea. All…I just thought he was a normal, if somewhat annoying, guy. He was charming and friendly and I had no clue. He didn't spend much time with me that evening, and I thought that said something about him, but I suspected nothing. The only person who was ever suspicious of him right off the bat was Charlotte." Elizabeth sighed, and felt nauseous just thinking back to that evening. She motioned with her fingers. "I was _this_ close to being roofied."

"I don't believe this!" Lydia gasped incredulously. "He roofied you, and you didn't think to warn me?"

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth would have laughed, if she wasn't so hurt by Lydia's reaction. "Warned you? Warned _you?_ Why would I warn you, when I had no idea that you were seeing him? I called Charlotte that night to make sure you, Kitty, and Mary King were safe…and you all got together and lied that you were hooking up with a waiter, when it was actually George. I had not the slightest notion that you and George were even in touch until Kitty told me everything at the police station last night." Elizabeth took a deep breath, trying to tell herself that too much had happened for Lydia to be calm and rational. Therefore she lowered her voice, trying to be gentle. "Lydia, if I knew that you were remotely interested in him, of _course_ I would have warned you. Surely you can't think that I'd knowingly let you onto his path."

"None of this is helping, Lizzy," Lydia said, voice both desolate and childish at the same time. "He wanted to have sex with you so bad that he roofied you. He just wanted _me_ to shuttle drugs back and forth, and I was too stupid to even realise what I was doing."

Elizabeth's head was hurting so much she thought she'd pop a blood vessel. Lydia was young and sheltered. But this was not just youthful naïveté; Georgiana was the far more apt poster child for that. This was…this was…frankly, Elizabeth could not even define what this was. But what she could articulate to herself silently was that her parents had gone wrong – so terribly, _horribly,_ wrong - in their raising of Lydia if this was the mindset she was left with. It would take years of therapy to help her.

Unwilling to let the silence drag, but not knowing exactly what to say, Elizabeth went for the low hanging fruit. "He didn't roofie me, he just tried to. Someone else ended up drinking it and…anyway, I called George out on it and he's been missing ever since."

"Did you press charges?"

Elizabeth looked at her hands. "No."

"I want to hurt him," Lydia said, and for the first time that day, her voice had some hint of strength and conviction. "I want him to pay for what he did to me. _Somehow."_

Elizabeth nodded. "He _will."_

"Lizzy…I'm going to jail, aren't I?"

"Lydia…"

"When I get out, then. I'm going to hunt him down and then make him pay."

"Lydia. We don't know that you're going to have to go to jail. There are many, many other possibilities. Darcy's called a friend of his – a really good criminal lawyer. Forget about revenge for now. We have to focus on you, and clearing your name."

There was a slight knock before the door opened and Mary walked in. "I didn't know you had woken up," she said, looking at Elizabeth. "You might want to go downstairs. Darcy's here…he's been here for a while, I told him you were asleep."

* * *

Whatever conversation had taken place earlier, it had ended obviously when Elizabeth walked in to the living room. Darcy was standing stiffly by the window, his back to everyone. Mr. Bennet saw her first and motioned her to sit next to him.

Mrs. Bennet then noticed her. "Really, Lizzy. Sleeping at a time like this. How can you be so selfish?"

At her mother's outburst, Darcy turned around. He nodded at her, but did not move away from his spot by the window. Bill Collins was nowhere in sight. She saw Kitty seated in a corner, with a duffle bag at her feet; likely the clothes she was getting for Lydia. Elizabeth surmised that Kitty had been caught on her way inside, and had been too scared to make her way upstairs.

"I didn't fall asleep on purpose," Elizabeth said quietly. "Anyway, I was just speaking to Lydia."

"How could you have let this happen to her?"

"I beg your pardon?" Elizabeth said, not expecting that question from her mother.

"Kitty was just telling us that this man who gave my Lydia drugs was a friend of yours. What kind of life are you leading out there? Does Jane know? And how could you allow Lydia to get mixed up in all of this?"

Kitty shot Elizabeth a remorseful look, and all Elizabeth could do was nod. She couldn't blame Kitty for telling their parents the backstory; the truth was going to come out at some point.

"I didn't know that Lydia was in touch with George," Elizabeth said weakly. "I didn't even know that they were friends."

" _'Friends'_ is not the word I would have used," Mr. Bennet drawled.

Elizabeth felt someone gently squeeze her shoulder, and she realised that Darcy had moved to come and stand behind her.

"Why were _you_ friends with a man like that? Have you any idea about the trouble you've caused?"

Elizabeth winced at her mother's words. For once, Mrs. Bennet had a point. "I didn't know…and when I did, I had no idea that Lydia and George were…"

Mrs. Bennet shook her head, clucking with obvious disappointment. "You've been so hard on your sisters all your life, but I never thought that you'd ruin them like this."

"Mother, please. Lydia's –"

Mr. Bennet interrupted Elizabeth. "Come now, Fanny. So Lizzy's taste in men is less than stellar. Lydia would have gotten into trouble on her own sooner or later. I daresay that she's been making a spectacle of herself at college in a similar manner already."

While Elizabeth couldn't see Darcy's expression, she could see Kitty's, and going by how horrified Kitty looked, Elizabeth could only imagine Darcy's reaction.

"Dad, please. You're not helping. Mother, Lydia's life is not ruined. We'll figure this out somehow."

Mrs. Bennet scoffed. "Not ruined? Your boyfriend here," and Mrs. Bennet waved her hand dismissively towards Darcy, "he tells us, Darcy tells us that this is not over, and Lydia has charges, and she has to keep going back to court…why wasn't all this dealt with in the morning?"

Elizabeth felt Darcy stiffen behind her. "Mother, that was just a bail hearing! These are serious charges, how can you expect it everything to just be wrapped up in a morning?"

Mr. Bennet reached for the newspaper, evidently disinterested in all the happenings around him.

"A good lawyer should be able to deal with these things."

"Mother, please don't be so absurd. Darcy did the best anyone could have done."

Mrs. Bennet huffed. "You got Lydia into this mess, and your boyfriend couldn't get her out of it. My poor Lydia…"

Elizabeth tuned out. She was used to her mother's long-winding speeches, which were inevitably hysterical and blamed everyone other than herself for her problems. Fact was, aside from the Darcy baiting, Elizabeth secretly agreed with her mother about how she was responsible for this nightmare by having introduced George to Lydia, and then doing nothing when she found out about his true nature. While she had never known about George and Lydia's relationship, she knew Lydia's character, and could have - _should have_ – anticipated this.

Elizabeth wasn't sure for how long she had tuned out. Much later, Kitty insisted that Elizabeth had actually dozed off. In any event, she was snapped back into reality when Darcy reached his breaking point, and snapped. Even Mr. Bennet lowered the newspaper he was holding.

"Your self-absorbed whining is priceless!" Darcy spat out at Mrs. Bennet (his opening line to her was missed by Elizabeth).

Mrs. Bennet sputtered, shocked. "How dare you –"

" _Dare?_ " Darcy said, derision evident in his voice. "All you've done this entire day is complain, complain, complain. This, after you wasted hours and hours yesterday, without calling somebody with more sense to take care of matters. Don't think for a moment that Inspector Markus didn't tell me about how you carried on, wanting to know what was so wrong with a young girl _'having a bit of fun'_. Have you spent even a nanosecond today saying or doing something useful?"

"Darcy," Elizabeth said quietly, putting her hand on his arm, trying to silence him. Unfortunately, Darcy's temper was way past the point of return.

His diatribe continued unabated. "At the very least, you couldn't even stay out of the way of people trying to minimise the damage here. And now, you have the audacity to go on and on and on and on about how all this is _Elizabeth's_ fault? Did it ever occur to you that the job of parenting actually falls upon the _parent_ and not a sibling?"

Kitty gasped audibly. Elizabeth wouldn't have believed that things could have gotten any worse, but it apparently just did.

Mr. Bennet found it necessary to step in at Darcy's last comment. "Young man, that is a step too far. You may have helped out this morning, but that doesn't allow you to speak in this house with such disrespect."

Darcy rolled his eyes, making no attempt to hide his feelings. "Well, then it's a good thing that I was just about to walk out. Perhaps my exit will allow you and your ex-wife to reflect on how your absolutely disgraceful parenting has led to today's sorry state of affairs. Perhaps it'll even motivate you to step out of your indolence and do something useful for your daughters."


	29. Aftermath

**Chapter 29: Aftermath**

* * *

"Oh good, you're awake," Jane said. "I'm just making some soup; it'll be ready very soon."

Elizabeth nodded blearily as she stumbled towards the couch.

"How are you feeling?" Charlotte asked.

"Better, though I know that I don't look it. I'm sorry for being sick on your first weekend back," Elizabeth said, tightly wrapping the throw around her. She picked up her cell phone that she had forgotten on the table earlier that day. Hoping for a miracle, Elizabeth checked her phone, but wasn't surprised when there were no messages from Darcy. She sighed. Why would Darcy reach out to her today, when he hadn't done so for the past month?

"You okay?"

"Oh yeah," Elizabeth lied. "Just felt woozy there for sec."

"Do you want to go to the doctor again?" Jane asked, concerned.

"It's just a really bad cold and flu, and I'm getting better. I also still have some meds left. I'm doing fine, all things considered," Elizabeth insisted. "I saw that," she added, as Jane and Charlotte exchanged a look.

Jane was stoic, and Charlotte raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Charlotte turned to Jane. "So, how much time do you have off again?"

"The rest of December and early next month. We start rehearsals again in mid-January."

"Any plans?"

Jane shrugged, looking uncomfortable. Elizabeth debated internally whether she should ask Jane, or wait for her to say something on her own time. Suddenly, her phone beeped, and everyone stayed silent as she checked her phone.

"Is it Darcy?" asked Charlotte, rarely one to beat around the bush.

Elizabeth smiled sadly. "It's Georgiana. She wanted to know how I was feeling, and if I needed anything. And I need nothing, with my two favourite ladies by my side!"

"Speaking of Georgiana…any news from Darcy?" Jane asked.

"No, there's no reason for him to contact me, and I still don't want to talk about him," Elizabeth said flatly. She knew, however, that it was very likely that they'd be talking about him within the hour. She had gone weeks refusing to, and there was only so long that any of the three of them would be able to keep this up. "We're definitively over."

Charlotte sighed audibly, and turned to Jane. "Shall we talk about Charles, then? Tell me _all."_

"Well, we're going to have to at least mention Darcy, in that case," Jane said, glancing at Elizabeth. Jane didn't speak while she served some soup into a bowl and handed it to Elizabeth. "Careful, that's really hot." Jane sat down next to Elizabeth, opposite Charlotte. "So…with this whole Lydia mess…given the timing, I think Darcy called Charles as soon as he got back from Meryton…I mean, my phone was exploding, with everyone calling me."

"Darcy yelling at our parents," Elizabeth said. "I honestly think that it almost made its way to the local news. The number of times Mary and Lydia asked Kitty for a reprisal…you'd think they had missed the second coming."

"Exactly, though, I'm ashamed to say that even _I_ feel bad for missing it," Jane said sheepishly. "Anyway, it was around the same time, with a million messages from mother and Kitty, and…I get this call from Belgium. I thought it was Charles, but then I thought how could that be? I answered, and it _was_ Charles. He said that Darcy had told him about the situation with Lydia, and that he wanted to help in any way that he could. It was kind of amazing…Charles was in Berlin in a matter of hours!"

"Oh Jane! He's still so in love with you!"

Jane blushed. "I…we talked. A _lot._ I don't want to be afraid again, and I ned to be more open or honest or…and not be bullied by Caroline. And he needs to know _all_ of me, and _everything_ that I consider important. Most importantly, I told Charles that what I needed right now was a good friend. And he was so amazing about all of it. His contract in Brussels still isn't over, but he's been in constant touch since he drove to Berlin that day. He'll be back in a few months, and we'll see how things go from there. But he might be offered a full-time job there, and if that happens, well, I'm here and he's there and at least we've repaired things good enough to be friends."

Darcy forgotten for the moment, Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged a look. "And you'd be okay with just being friends, after everything?"

Jane shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Probably not. Or maybe I'll be more mature –"

"I'm not sure that's the right word under the circumstances," Elizabeth interjected.

Jane shrugged again. "Whatever. Mature, circumspect, whatever. I don't know. I figure…it's just a few months and then we'll know if we're going to be in the same country or separate ones on a long-term basis. If it's separate countries, maybe…probably…we'll have to part as friends. And if he comes back…we'll maybe get a chance to see if we're going to be just friends for good, or can we try again. I dunno. Right now, I need him as a friend, and he's been that."

Elizabeth squeezed Jane's hand. "I know it'll work out between the two of you. Charles is not so stupid that he's going to walk away from a second chance to be with you."

"I second that! Charles would be lucky to have you," Charlotte said.

Jane smiled. "Let's just wait and see. Anyway, enough about me."

"Okay then, any update on the Lydia situ?" Charlotte asked.

"She was in court last week," Jane said, glancing uncomfortably at Elizabeth. "We've requested the police records, files…disclosure stuff. Her bail's also been varied; she can go to college, she can go to work if she gets a job, some of the restrictions have been lifted and Dave - Dave Irving's her lawyer – managed to get a publication ban so Lydia's name won't be in anything public and the court file is sealed. I spoke to Dave this morning and he said he's trying to see if he can cut some kind of deal."

Charlotte looked from Jane to Elizabeth in confusion, and Elizabeth knew what would come next.

"No offence, but Eliza, how come you're not dealing with the legal stuff?" Charlotte asked, frowning. She looked at Jane. "How come you're speaking to the lawyer? I thought that would be handled by Eliza or Mr. Bennet."

Elizabeth sighed. "Because I can't do anything right and everyone's mad at me," she said despondently. "I'm sorry, Char. This is one of the many things I didn't want to talk about because…it's all so depressing. I can't make anyone happy or get anything right, it seems. I should have spoken to you sooner. I should have spoken to _both_ of you sooner," Elizabeth said, looking at Jane. "I might have even felt a teeny bit better, getting some of this off my chest and venting. Poor Jane has had second-hand stories from everyone but me."

"Lizzy, you take all the time you need. If you don't want to talk about what happened yet, that's fine. Plus, you fell so sick, and you're _still_ not okay," Jane said immediately.

"I'm good enough, Janey. Dad and Mother both got mad at me after Darcy told them off. Well, Mother was mad at me even before that, because she blames me for Lydia meeting George and getting entangled in this whole mess. After the whole Darcy thing, they both got mad at me for not defending them, for not standing up to Darcy, for not _'putting family first'_. Mother was her usual self, but Dad…" Elizabeth felt tears prick her eyes, which she furiously batted away. "He wasn't mad, exactly. But he said that he was disappointed to see that I had lost all sense of self and family now that I had found a man I believed to be my superior."

"Oh Lizzy!" Jane exclaimed, horrified. "Dad couldn't have really meant that!"

Charlotte gulped. "You must feel awful. You should have spoken to us sooner!"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Dad wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. And if he didn't mean it when he said it, he sure as hell means it _now_ , after I totally lost it."

"You lost your temper," Jane said, almost to herself. "That's why Dad said –" Jane stopped herself, but Elizabeth heard her.

"What did Dad tell you? Actually, you know what, never mind. I don't want to know." Elizabeth knew that whatever her father had told Jane, it couldn't have been any more hurtful than what he had actually told her. "He's just so… _ugh._ How can he have such little respect for me? I didn't _not_ defend them because I think Darcy is my 'superior'…what the _hell?_ Darcy is…was…whatever. We were _equals_. I never thought that Darcy was better than me – I can't believe that Dad did! I didn't say anything because I was shocked and tired and exhausted! I didn't say anything because I was so disappointed that I was being blamed for everything, and because Darcy was frigging _right!"_

Elizabeth didn't realise that she was crying until Charlotte sat down beside her, offering tissues.

"This was pre or post your argument with Darcy?" Charlotte asked after a while.

"Post," Elizabeth said. "I'm sorry, I'm telling you the whole story backwards."

Jane put her arm around Elizabeth. "Whatever is easiest for you. We understand."

"I walked back into the house after the whole Darcy thing – I'll get to that in a bit – and Mother just laid into me… _again._ And you know what, if it was just Mother, it might have been okay. She's always like this. It's not like I've ever done anything to meet her standards or make her happy. I think I wanted Dad to say something. Mostly, to apologise for every damn thing that had happened that day. But instead, he had his usual caustic remarks…and you know what? It wasn't okay. He needed to step up. Be a _parent_ , as Darcy so eloquently put it. Not leave it up to Darcy to be the only adult in the room. I _did_ lose my temper. I told Mother to snap out of it, and that Lydia was wild and out of control and it was all her fault and that if George Wickham hadn't come along, it would have been some other wastrel of a man who at the very minimum would have left Lydia pregnant, and we'd have been in and out of hospitals and clinics instead of police stations and courthouses."

Jane winced, and Charlotte snorted.

"You know how true that is, right?" Charlotte asked. "It's not just a comeback. That's exactly where Lydia would have been. Her story was going to reach this inevitable juncture no matter what, because that's just how she was raised." Charlotte squeezed Elizabeth's hand. "Lydia's mess is _not_ your fault."

Elizabeth smiled weakly. "Thanks. I'm trying to convince myself of that, slowly. Anyway. The story. As I went off on Mother, Dad told his little piece and I was _so_ done. So I told him that Darcy was right. That he was right about _both_ of them. That it wasn't fair to pawn off all the blame on to Mother, Lydia, or some combination thereof, and ignore his role in this. That if he hadn't been an absentee father to Lydia, maybe she could have been salvaged, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I told him that _I_ was so disappointed and ashamed that Darcy and I had to do everything, and that Dad didn't even make it to the station until the morning. I just…I don't know. Years of frustration that I didn't even know existed came pouring out…"

Charlotte handed her another tissue.

"Like when I fought with Charles," Jane said quietly.

Elizabeth looked at her sister. "I…yeah. I never realised…I never acknowledged how much any of this…how much Dad and Mother and how all of their combined negligence bothered me. So deeply, _deeply_ bothered me. I told Dad all kinds of things; that he had a good job and Grandpa had done so much and you and I shouldn't have had to struggled so much to pay our own way through life for every damn thing with no family support, and that if he hadn't so thoroughly mismanaged his finances, you, Mary and I would be so much more stable, and, what has he even done as a father, except singling me out and favouring me until he let me down the _one_ time I needed him to be there? Oh, guys, the whole thing…I had no filter. I just…unleashed. I told him that I was ashamed that he couldn't even bring money to bail Lydia out, and that we had to depend on Darcy for money. I asked Dad if he had _any_ idea how ashamed I was of _myself_ , for having put Darcy in a position of fronting bail money. I was yelling about how he came empty-handed, and Lydia needed real help, not someone to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. I told him that he better make arrangements to pay Darcy back pronto. And then Kitty and Mary both came downstairs to see what all the noise was about. I stayed with Lydia all night. Bill dropped by the next morning and said he was coming to the city and he could drive me, so after lots and lots and _lots_ of instructions to Mary and Kitty, I came back. Lydia seemed a bit better. I tried to go talk to Dad before leaving, but he pretended as if nothing had happened…and I was done pretending that our family was okay. So I just left with Bill. And then promptly fell sick."

"Holy _wow,_ Eliza! That was too much for one person." Charlotte hugged her. "You were honest. You couldn't have held all of that in and stayed healthy for much longer anyway. I don't know about Mrs. Bennet, but I'm sure your father will come around. He's going to realise that there was truth in your words, and just how hurt you are by all of this, and the enormous pressure you were under. Look, Mr. Irving's been retained – _someone_ has to be paying for him. Isn't that a sign that your father's stepping up to the plate for Lydia?"

Elizabeth hadn't actually thought about that. She knew that the lawyer had been retained instantaneously because Mary had told her, and once Jane had come back, she had been put in charge of liaising between Mr. Irving and everyone else. Elizabeth hadn't given the issue more thought other than being relieved that it was all under relative control. "Do you think that maybe I should –"

"No!" Jane exclaimed, looking so uncomfortable that Elizabeth wondered if her sister was physically ill.

"No, what? Jane, are you okay?"

Jane buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't…so much was happening and I didn't know if I should tell you...and I promised…Dad hasn't stepped up to anything."

"Jane, what are you _talking_ about?" Elizabeth's question was met with silence. She exchanged a confused look with Charlotte. "Jane?"

"Just…give me a minute, okay?"

Jane took considerably more than a minute, as she stood up, drank some water, walked around, drank some more water, walked around some more, and then finally sat down again. "I'm sorry. I just don't want you to call Dad, or at least do while thinkig that he's changed…yet, anyway…that he's helping Lydia. Darcy paid Dave Irving's initial retainer."

 _"What?"_ Elizabeth stared at Jane. "Mary said that…why didn't you tell me this before? Mary said…"

"One reason Charles drove to Berlin was because he wanted to be with me and have three-way discussion with Darcy. Charles said that Darcy could be…'forceful' in situations like this and he didn't want me to feel alone and overwhelmed. Darcy had already paid an initial retainer because he didn't think Dad would do anything, or do anything quickly enough. Lydia needed a lawyer and she needed one _urgently._ I had my savings but…Darcy was right. By the time I ran to the bank, accessed my savings here, it would have wasted more time. He was in the best place to manage it all." Jane was knotting her fingers in her lap, and she didn't look up.

"We made a deal on how I'd pay him back, and that I'd be the one to replenish the retainer once I came home. _I'm_ the one who told Mary that it had all been taken care of. I told Dad that I had paid the retainer because Darcy thought – and I completely agreed with him – that Dad wouldn't have accepted Dave Irving if he knew Darcy had any part of it and then we'd all be running around in circles looking for lawyers…and by _'we',_ I knew that it would actually be _you_ that would have to figure all this out." Jane shrugged. "Dad said he'd pay me back and I agreed that we'd let everyone think he was handling the retainer. He said he's taken a second mortgage on the house and things were tight and…whatever. It doesn't matter to me. Better for him to salvage some semblance of respect for the sake of Mary, Kitty, and Lydia."

Elizabeth had lost all feeling in her body. "Jane…"

Jane finally looked up tearfully. "I'm sorry Lizzy. I'm _so_ sorry. You and Darcy had already fought…and all three of us thought that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell you. Darcy made me _promise_ not to tell you. I gave him my word. It was part of our deal. Lizzy, you've done so much, and you're so hurt…and I told you _now_ because I don't want you to forgive Dad because you're giving him credit where no credit is due. Ugh, I've made such a mess of things. I didn't…I didn't realise that you and Darcy would end things for good. I thought it was just a fight and you'd be back together and then Darcy would tell you himself…Lizzy, I _promised_ him. You can't tell him that you know."


	30. The Fight

**Chapter 30:The Fight**

* * *

There was a considerable lapse in time before they spoke again. Drinks – for Jane and Charlotte – were had. Two different films were viewed. A nap – for Jane and Elizabeth. Food – for all three of them.

Jane broached the subject when only crumbs were left. "Lizzy…will you tell Darcy?"

"No," Elizabeth said instantly, surprising Jane and Charlotte.

"No?" Charlotte asked, frowning. "Just like that? Are you _sure?"_

Elizabeth gave a lopsided smile. "What would I achieve in telling Darcy that I know? It would make Jane look bad, Darcy would tell Charles and…Jane would look bad. If Darcy wanted me to know, he wouldn't have made Jane promise him otherwise. Darcy has his reasons – whatever they may be – and why should I make him feel undone by letting him know that I know what he expressly didn't want me to?"

"What actually happened between you two?"

"We're ill-suited to be together," Elizabeth said despondently.

"Lizzy!" Jane exclaimed. "That's simply not true!"

"Or…you just don't _want_ it to be true."

"What happened?"

Elizabeth sighed, and curled up on the sofa, drawing the blanket around herself. "When Darcy stormed out of Dad's, Mother started this…this hysterical sobbing. And Dad was all…all dark and grave. I felt awful, much as I had silently agreed with Darcy. Obviously, I went after Darcy, who was waiting for me outside…and we had this giant argument. Fight. Whatever. It didn't _start_ as a fight, but soon descended into one. Darcy was expecting me to leave with him, and was almost offended when I couldn't leave, especially after him telling off Dad and Mother. He couldn't believe that I was not going home with him. I told him that I had to stay behind for Lydia – ha! so much for that, seeing how this turned out. Darcy was…he wanted to know why I lost my spine and why I would ever tolerate or put up with being talked to like that. He was all _'where's your self respect?'_."

"Eliza, I'm sure he was just angry…"

"We were both angry. I told him that he was a fine one to talk about respect; I said that he had been incredibly rude, and why couldn't he had held it in just a bit longer? Darcy was _livid…I_ was livid. I think…we were so mad at everyone else, and we ended up saying things we just shouldn't have. He said that it was ridiculous how I had just stayed silent while my parents abused me and took advantage of me in turn, and I yelled about how there was a time and place for everything, and that this was _not_ the time _nor_ place for his outburst. He told me that if I had stood up for myself, he wouldn't have had to step in, and I was all _'I don't need you to fight my battles'._

Jane groaned.

"Yeah, I know," Elizabeth said morosely. "Ironic, all things considered. He told me that I had no self-respect, allowing my parents to treat me like that, and couldn't understand why I was so afraid of two such utterly inferior people."

"Oh, Darcy, noooo…" Charlotte wailed.

"Oh yes. But Char, I wasn't much better. Maybe even worse. I told Darcy that what he thought of as _'fear'_ was known as _'respect'_ in the better part of the civilised world, but I understood that he wasn't familiar with the concept, given his arrogance and complete lack of empathy, because had he had the ability to put himself in anybody else's shoes, he would have realised that what was needed wasn't a lesson on parenting, but some sympathy and handholding for Lydia, and gentle coaxing for Dad and Mother."

Jane sighed. "Oh, Lizzy! You didn't!"

"What did Darcy say?" Charlotte asked at the same time.

Elizabeth twisted her fingers. "He…he laughed. I mean…it wasn't a _real_ laugh, just this harsh, short, bark. He said that he hadn't realised that the Bennett family wasn't quite done with our criticism of him. He apologised for taking up my time and said that he was leaving me to _'fight my own battles'._ And, he got in his car and drove away. Just like that."

Jane and Charlotte both hugged Elizabeth, but didn't say anything for quite some time. Finally, Jane broke the silence. "Lizzy, you both said some awful things, and that was a really terrible fight. But it was a _fight._ There's no reason that the two of you can't move beyond this. Call him. Tell him you're sorry. I'm certain that Darcy would apologise as well."

"Too late for that, Jane. I messaged Darcy soon after the fight. Said that I didn't want him to misunderstand, and I truly was thankful and did appreciate everything that he had done, but I didn't think that this thing between us would work out."

"Elizabeth! _Why?!"_

"What do you mean _'why'?"_ Elizabeth snapped, frustrated more with the situation than her companions. "Why do you think? Darcy comes from this perfectly manicured world, where everyone says and does exactly the right thing…that's not my world. That's not my family. I kept thinking about the gala, and how Mother and Lydia were behaving…they're never going to change. They – _none of them –_ are ever going to change. Darcy is forever going to be infuriated, and I'm forever going to be stuck in the middle. What am I going to do? Keep apologising on their behalf forever? I was feeling insecure enough as it was, without even factoring in my family. I don't want to be in a relationship where I'm always going to be feeling less than. And he doesn't get that. For Darcy…he thinks we're the same, and why can't I just tell off Dad and Mother the way he did? Why can't I just insult them and demand respect for myself? He doesn't get it…just because my parents are garbage, doesn't mean I can just drop them like a hot brick…he just doesn't _get_ it."

Jane sighed loudly, creases marring her forehead, but remained silent.

Charlotte put her arm around Elizabeth's shoulder, hugging her sideways. "Eliza, don't think about this anymore. It's too soon. So many different things have happened, so much drama, you've barely had any time to catch your breath. I know that how you feel right now must seem giant and insurmountable, but, who knows? Maybe in a few months you'll have forgotten who Darcy is, or you might be kicking yourself for not making up with him sooner. Let it be for now. Jane can deal with him for the time being."

Elizabeth nodded quietly. As usual, Charlotte's practical advice was what she needed to hear. Still…she bit her lip. "You're right. It's just…I miss Darcy, and I wish he wasn't…that he hadn't…that he had fought back, fought for _us,_ instead of just agreeing with me. If he had argued…but he didn't. It was one thing for me to feel…to think all this. But for Darcy to agree…does it really matter how I'd feel in a few months, when Darcy, who was in a much better headspace, agreed that things wouldn't work out?"

* * *

 **A/N: Apologies to all the reviewers that I didn't respond to; I'm usually a lot more diligent in showing my appreciation! I'm so sorry!**

 **Life has just been super hectic, and I had two weeks with internet trouble, plus a bout of illness. I really wanted to post something, so I'm putting up what should have been the first part of a longer chapter.**

 **I will try to be better next time!**


	31. Motivation & Priorities

**Chapter 31: Motivation & Priorities**

* * *

Despite the hysterical weather forecast, the snowfall had been mild. Under normal circumstances, Elizabeth would have enjoyed walking through snow, all bundled up in her winter clothes. However, she was too distracted to enjoy the weather or the walk.

"Ugh, I _hate_ Darcy," Elizabeth vented into her phone, and heard Charlotte smother something that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.

"Really? That's a fairly strong –"

"Charlotte, you _know_ what I mean. Why bother inviting me if he wasn't going bloody well turn up himself?!"

The previous week, she had received an email from Darcy. It had been a good two months plus since she had heard from him and Elizabeth had long given up the idea of hearing from him, so when he emailed her, Elizabeth had no inclination of what his email would say except for the standard seasonal greetings.

As it turned out, the email was the most random thing ever, aside from the predicted seasonal greetings. Darcy wrote that his aunt, the Supreme Court judge, was part of a panel speaking on the topic of women in litigation that weekend, was Elizabeth attending, and if she did want to attend but hadn't got her tickets yet, then he had several complimentary ones courtesy Justice De Bourgh that he could send her.

"Maybe something came up?" Charlotte offered.

"Do you really believe that, or are you hoping that thought would somehow reduce my irritation?" Elizabeth had tamped down her excitement and sent back a politely worded reply that said why, that was kind offer, and yes, if he had a spare ticket, she would love to attend. She _didn't_ write to Darcy saying that given the pricing, there wasn't a parallel universe in which she would have shelled out that much money on her own, no matter what the topic and who was speaking.

"Mostly the latter," Charlotte admitted. "Are you _sure_ that he wasn't there? Maybe you just missed him. Did you walk about and look hard enough?"

"Charlotte. The topic was _'Women in Litigation'._ Trust me when I say this, men were few and far between, and if Darcy had been there, I would _not_ have missed him."

"Something _must_ have come up," Charlotte repeated, this time with more conviction. "Why else would he have given you the tickets? Did you go alone?"

"No, he had sent three tickets. I went with Maria – she's in two of my classes – and this student that Edward just hired, Lila."

"Is she nice?"

"I suppose that he really did have extra tickets he needed to get rid of," Elizabeth said desolately, ignoring Charlotte's attempt to change the subject.

"If Darcy wanted to get rid of the tickets, he could have easily thrown them in the bin," Charlotte pointed out. "Or given it to some junior female lawyer at his own firm. I'm pretty sure there are some women there. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to do something nice for you. Did you say thank you? Did you offer an opinion on - ?"

"Did I say _'thank you'?_ Charlotte, what on earth do you take me for? And you know what _would_ have been something nice? How about –" Elizabeth stopped talking abruptly, as she watched the black BMW across the road. Surely, her eyes could not be deceiving her. "Char, do you know where Darcy is?"

"Uh…where Darcy is physically? Metaphysically? Emotionally?"

"Physically," Elizabeth said slowly, her eyes glued to the car. "Because, I swear, I think I see him turning right from Spencer Road."

She lived in a cul-de-sac; Spencer Road led nowhere but to and from her own home.

"Huh…are you _sure?"_

"I haven't lost it so much that I've started hallucinating," Elizabeth retorted. "I've seen that car enough to recognise it by now."

"Was he alone?"

"I'm not sure…I couldn't see that clearly…he must have been meeting Jane." Elizabeth sighed. If she hadn't loitered at work unnecessarily, she would have been home earlier. She said as much out loud.

"Maybe he was loitering about too, hoping you'd eventually get yourself home," Charlotte ventured.

"Pfffft. As if."

"You never know. He certainly wouldn't be meeting Jane at home in the evening if he was hell bent on avoiding you."

* * *

"What was Darcy doing here?" Elizabeth asked as soon as she saw Jane.

Jane looked her up and down. "Did you walk through the house like that, looking for me?"

Elizabeth remembered her wet boots. "Ugh! I'm sorry!"

"C'mon, take them off. I'll walk you to the front."

"Well? What was Darcy doing here?" Elizabeth asked impatiently.

"You don't miss anything, do you? How did you know that he was here?"

Elizabeth pulled off her boots. "I saw his car pulling out of Spencer as I was walking home."

They both walked into the living room, where Elizabeth finally divested herself of her scarf and coat.

"You just missed him then," Jane mused. "I'm going to make some tea."

Elizabeth nodded to the unasked question, and then sat down on the sofa. They made small talk until Jane sat down beside her, each of them with a cup of tea.

Jane took a deep breath. "I would have spoken to you, even if you hadn't seen Darcy. Lizzy…they found him."

"What?"

"George. Wickham," Jane added, not that there could be any doubt who she was talking about. "They found him."

"Where? How? Where?"

"Portugal. He's in Portugal right now."

Elizabeth blinked. _"Portugal?_ He sure gets around, doesn't he?" she asked bitterly.

Jane nodded. "They found him through Lydia's phone. Darcy tried to explain it all to me, but it was too much technical jargon and I really didn't get most of it. Oh, and his cousin Richard was here too."

Elizabeth looked at her sister quizzically, given Jane's tone.

Jane shrugged. "He's…I suppose he takes some getting used to."

"Did he flirt with you?"

"I suppose you could call it that," Jane said modestly.

"Oh Jane," Elizabeth said smiling, "You are so clueless about your own charms! So, what's Wickham up to? Whose life is he busy ruining now? What's the plan?"

"Apparently he's writing a free-lance column for a paper there. At least that's his cover, according to Richard. He's being watched right now… _'under surveillance'_."

"I'm guessing there's more…"

"Lizzy…Darcy and Richard have come up with a plan. Well, to back track a bit. They had found him I think a month and a half ago. And _then_ they – Darcy and Richard, that is - came up with a plan. And that plan included…includes…included Lydia. So they went to Dad and Mother. Who absolutely refused. So now they came to me."

"Wait, _what?"_ Elizabeth put down her cup. "Information overload! What is this plan? Why would they go to Dad? And _Mother?_ I think you have to back up a bit more."

"Right. Sorry. There's apparently hardly any evidence to charge George with anything right now. It's mostly just Lydia's word. They want Lydia to go undercover…sort of. I'm not really sure of the terminology. They want Lydia to reach out to George, pretend that she got off. Rekindle things."

"And…?"

"They want Lydia to trap him. She has to pretend that she found the drugs he abandoned her with, that she sold it, and is now starting in the business herself. Tempt him to join her on a smuggling trip to…" Jane frowned. "Richard said Thailand or Mexico…or maybe it was China. You know, with countries so different, you'd think that I would remember. Lydia goes first, tells him how easy it is, says she made a bundle, and hopefully he gets tempted, and then they do the second trip together…and he gets arrested. Because obviously, the police on that end would be in on it," Jane added, as if there would have been any other possibility. "Obviously I'm summarising all of this."

"You thought this conversation could be handled with just tea?" Elizabeth muttered, gobsmacked. "And…?"

"They've…together with Dave - Mr. Irving - they've all worked out all the details with the prosecuting attorney. All Lydia's charges will be dropped. Expunged…that's the word, right?...Lydia's record completely expunged. As if nothing ever happened. Clean slate. Not even the arrest will be there. So they…wait. Lydia's a minor, _and_ Dad is her surety, so they presented all of this to Dad and Mother, who, if I understand clearly, lost their collective mind, got hysterical, refused to put Lydia _'in harm's way'_ , and somehow are under the impression that she will beat all her charges without needing to cut any kind of deal."

"Oh Jane, this is…has anyone spoken to Lydia?"

"Dave did. She wants to do it, and is busy fighting with Dad as we speak. Poor Mary, having to navigate all that drama."

"I can just imagine…though…why on earth would Darcy speak to Dad, or Mother… _especially_ Mother about this? Or about _anything?_ He hates them."

Jane looked at Elizabeth, and it was obvious that she was weighing what to say. "Well, Richard is the official contact person, or representative or whatever…he works for the secret service…but you already knew that."

Elizabeth nodded.

"Richard apparently refused to go talk to Dad at all – "

"Darcy obviously told him all about what happened," Elizabeth interjected.

"I guess…and Dave had refused to speak to them alone as well…I think everyone's wise to who our parents are."

"But he's Lydia's lawyer…he _has_ to speak to them…why did Darcy have to…"

This time, Jane fixed her with a penetrating gaze. "Lizzy, wasn't it you who told Darcy that he didn't know how to treat our parents with respect?"

"Please don't remind me," Elizabeth muttered.

Jane bit her lower lip. "Maybe…maybe Darcy is trying to show that he _can_ treat our parents with respect. That he can treat them like equals."

"Which they promptly responded to by getting all hysterical and validating Darcy's original point, naturally."

"That's a separate issue, which we have to discuss. I'm trying to focus here on Darcy's possible motivation and what that could mean."

"Janey, Darcy's motivation is going to have to wait." Elizabeth would have loved nothing more than to analyse Darcy to death in that moment, but the situation required her to prioritise. "George isn't going to stay on anyone's radar for much longer. If there's a chance to get him, _and_ to clear Lydia's name for good, we need to be pouncing on it _now._ "

Jane sighed. "I suppose you're right. Which then brings us to the separate issue I just mentioned. Lydia wants me to convince Mother, and Dad. And there's no way I can do that without you there. In fact, I think if there's anyone who can get them to agree, it's you and Lydia together, not me. And Lydia says that she wants you there with her, if she gets the greenlight to do this. Lyds told me that she's too scared to do this without you there."

"I guess we're off to Meryton then. We'll first work on Dad, and then head to Hertfordshire to deal with Mother."


	32. Conflict

**Chapter 32: Conflict**

* * *

"I fail to understand how having Lydia traipsing around in some other country with little to no supervision, and a tremendous amount of risk is an advantage to anyone. It'll be a much more valuable life lesson for her to go through the criminal court process, where she will understand the value of actions and consequences."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her father, and tried to tamp down on her fury, which was reaching new heights. She was glad she had insisted that Kitty keep Lydia away, so this discussion could be had in private. She could not imagine Lydia witnessing this ending up with any positive outcome.

From her corner in the room, Mary muttered to herself that life lessons should have been taught before this debacle, not after. Elizabeth wondered if her father even heard Mary.

Elizabeth spoke. " _'Go through the criminal court process?'_ You mean the process Jane and Darcy's money is paying for? _That_ process? The process involving everyone but Lydia or her legal guardians?"

Jane blushed and looked down. Mr. Bennet raised a single brow. "I should have known that your coming here was because of that man."

" _That man_ has –" Elizabeth cut herself off, as Jane looked at her. Starting up an argument about Darcy would not do anyone any favours. "Dad, don't you understand that Lydia _wants_ to do this? If you want her to learn about the value of actions and consequences, how about you let her go earn her freedom? The court process means nothing to her; everyone else is doing the hard work there. And when she ends up with a sentence, it's going to be too late."

"I have learnt my lesson. Lydia is safest here, where any more trouble she gets in to will be local, and dealt with by our own people. What do you even know about this Darcy, or his cousin, or even the lawyer that they found?"

"You have a problem with the lawyer now? This is news to me. Is there some other lawyer you've perchance found, and have the finances to pay, that you want representing Lydia instead?"

Jane gasped. "Lizzy!"

"I'm tired of this. You and Mother are solely responsible for the situation Lydia finds herself in. You – _both_ of you – taught her no sense, no boundaries, and left her to her own wayward ways. And now that she is in some real trouble, it's all other people that have to move mountains to fix this mess. I'm sorry that you don't like Darcy, that you're so offended by him, and you feel that he didn't give you the respect you think you deserve. But the fact is that Darcy is the one who stepped up for Lydia, not you, and certainly not Mother. And if not for Darcy, his cousin, and the lawyer he found, we wouldn't even be looking at a way of extricating Lydia out of this. Your indolence cost me the best man I'll ever know. I'm not about to let it cost Lydia her freedom."

Mr. Bennet flinched, the only outward sign that he was hurt.

"Lizzy…" Jane said, rapidly blinking. Elizabeth didn't worry, though. She knew that Jane would have her back, no matter what she said or did right now.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "I think…I _really_ think that you should consent to this plan, and make Mother agree as well. Because…imagine what would happen if you didn't, and Lyds had to fight this in court? And, imagine, what if…what if Jane pulled her money out of Dave's retainer? What if Darcy asked that he be paid back immediately? You and Mother, together or otherwise, will have to payback Darcy's loan, find money for a new lawyer, _and_ find a new lawyer."

"Lizzy, are you threatening me?" Mr. Bennet asked, expressionless. "Just because I didn't approve of Darcy's conduct, do you think this is the appropriate step to take?"

"I'm saying that you have the chance to do the right thing. This has nothing to do with Darcy, but since you keep bringing him up, sure, let me say something about him. Like I said, it was Darcy that stepped up for Lydia, not you or Mother. That should have earned him your gratitude, not disapprobation. If he was disrespectful, maybe that was because you, and especially Mother, were being so difficult and unfair to me. And still, instead of saying to hell with us all, he had the decency to come meet with you and discuss this latest plan for Lydia. He has a law firm to run. Clients to manage. A sister to parent, and a vast estate to manage. And yet he's made the effort to help Lydia, because he promised me that we'd figure this out, that it would be okay, and that I wouldn't have to manage this nightmare on my own. And we're not even together anymore. So you know what, Dad? If you can't be nice and grateful and appreciative of everything he's done and is doing, then I'd rather you just kept your opinions and acerbic remarks to yourself. Just…it's enough now."

Elizabeth hadn't planned on that speech, but it had all come gushing out. Even Mary was staring at her.

"Now, about Lydia. Just…can you please just be the father that Lydia needs you to be right now? Maybe you're thinking that you're helping her, but there's no point closing the stable doors now. The horse has well and truly bolted. Am I threatening you? Yeah, yeah, I guess I am. And it breaks my heart that I have to. That Jane has to be put in the middle of all this. All of this. Don't you realise that it's not just you and Lydia and Mother? We're all in this up to our eyebrows. Can't you just, for once, do what we need, instead of what's easiest for you?"

* * *

"If he's not coming, then I'm not going," Lydia repeated stubbornly, jutting out her lower lip.

For the first time since they all met in Dave Irving's office, Darcy looked at Elizabeth, completely astonished. Her expression mirrored his. Jane looked equally surprised, and Richard was looking at Lydia as if she had lost her mind. Dave Irving was the only person who looked not the least surprised, and merely tired. He alone obviously had the best read of his client.

Elizabeth could not believe that Lydia was doing this. After all the trouble she and Jane had gone to, in getting both their parents to agree to this, after all the planning, after all the hard work everyone had put in, she could not believe that Lydia was throwing a wrench in the plans halfway through. And _what_ a wrench it was.

"Lydia," Dave said in a patient voice, "Darcy being there doesn't make things any safer."

"In fact, it makes everything decidedly _less_ safe," Richard snapped. "The one person in the whole world who has no business being where you are, and don't you think for a minute that George will not be wise to Darcy being in the same city as him."

"He's the one who got me out of jail, not any one of you," Lydia said. "I think he'll keep me safe. I want him there, otherwise I'm not going."

"Lydia, sweetie, you wanted Lizzy with you. Remember?" Jane cajoled, as if Lydia was a petulant seven-year-old.

"And I _do_ want her there. But it's different. I want Lizzy there to hold my hand. Meta…"

"Figuratively," Elizabeth supplied automatically.

"Right. That. Figuratively. I want Lizzy to hold me hand, figuratively. But I know Darcy will keep me safe, out of jail, if something goes wrong."

"I can _not_ believe we're having this discussion," Richard said.

"I won't even be free," Darcy said, struggling to maintain his composure. "I'm going to be in the middle of trial."

"Postpone it."

" _Lydia!_ He can't just postpone a trial like that, what's wrong with you?!"

"Then we'll go later," Lydia retorted.

"This is not like changing dinner reservations," Richard said. "We already postponed –"

"Richard," Darcy said, a clear warning in his voice.

But it was too late. "I didn't ask for anything to be postponed until now," Lydia said. "So if you guys –"

"No, but you insisted that your sister come with you," Darcy said tiredly.

"And?"

Jane bit her lip. "And Lizzy has her finals, so…it was obviously better to do all this after her exams."

Elizabeth looked at Darcy, surprised. No one, not even Jane, had told her any of that. Darcy, as it were, was looking elsewhere.

"We're not postponing this again,"' Richard said. "We're doing this as planned, or let's just forget about it."

"Maybe…maybe we _should_ just ask Georgiana?" Darcy said, mostly to Richard. "She _wants_ to do it, and would be just as fine with you as she would be with me. Georgie won't insist on my being there."

"It's too late now," Richard said in a grimace. "Lydia is already in place. We'd have to start a afresh with Georgie."

"Who's Georgie?" Lydia asked, looking truly scared. "No, _I_ have to do this. I need to clean my record…"

"Your record will be expunged regardless," Dave said, "so long as _someone_ completes the plan."

"But it has to be _me,_ " Lydia said. " _I_ have to make him pay."

"Well, you can't have everything," Richard said. "You want your sister, you want Darcy, and now it has to be you. You're not picking toppings for your sundae here."

"Richard…I don't think any of this is helping," Darcy said. "Lydia, I'm not qualified to practice law in Singapore. Like Dave said, my being there doesn't make things any safer. George will sniff me out like a bloodhound. You need to go with Elizabeth, Richard, and any other officer that Richard deems appropriate. _Not_ me."

Slowly, Lydia's bravado left her. "Lizzy, _do_ something. You were both there in Hertfordshire. Why is everything so difficult?"

From that point, Elizabeth and Jane did their level best to make Lydia come around. It took both of them a considerable amount of energy, but Lydia finally agreed to drop her demand that Darcy join them. Elizabeth couldn't even understand it; Lydia was terrified of Darcy and hadn't exchanged more than ten words with him. Why Lydia would insist on Darcy's presence made no sense to her.

Finally, after convincing Lydia and going through the plan in excruciating detail, everyone was able to leave. Darcy practically sprinted out of Dave's office. Elizabeth looked at Jane, and Jane nodded in understanding. "Go on, we'll wait," Jane said.

Elizabeth ran after Darcy, and caught up with him in the parking lot. "Darcy! _DARCY!"_

He turned, surprised. "Elizabeth. Is everything okay?"

"Darcy! I haven't seen you since…we haven't…I wanted to…"

"How are your studies coming along? Good? Are you ready for your finals?"

"Forget my finals. Why are you being such a stranger? You've been so good, to all of us. Doing all this, helping Lydia, thinking of every little thing…we owe you so much…"

"You owe me nothing. No one owes me anything. I made a promise –"

"I _know._ I _know_ that. You made me a promise. A promise you didn't have to keep. At all. Dad was so horrible to you, and we…you and I…"

"Elizabeth, you don't have to thank me. Or apologise. Anyway, I'm mostly responsible for unleashing George Wickham onto the world anyway. I'm doing what I should have always done."

He wouldn't look at her.

"Darcy…why won't you let me thank you? I just want to…why can't we…I want to talk to you..."

"Because!" Darcy snapped. Then he bit his lower lip, briefly closing his eyes. "Because. This is hard. Because I don't want your thanks. Because it's too hard to just talk to you and pretend that...because…none of this matter. At the end of the day…you…you and I. It doesn't matter who was right or wrong. We deal with conflict very differently. We deal with _family_ very differently. _Your_ family in particular. You'll never be able to set the tone with your family the way you want, as long as I'm around. My dynamic with your family will always cause problems, and frustrations, and resentment for you. I'm always going to end up making you feel lousy about it. Either you have to become a different person with regard to your family, or I have to…and…Jesus…I don't even know what you wanted to tell me. Elizabeth, I can't do this. I'm sorry."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: All That Scheming**

* * *

"Lizzy?"

"Hmmmm?" Elizabeth was staring out the window, and she didn't budge in response to Lydia.

 _"Lizzy."_

"I heard you the first time. What is it?"

"Why aren't you looking at me? Are you mad at me?"

Elizabeth held back a sigh, and left the window to sit on her bed, beside Lydia's. It wouldn't do to put Lydia on edge at such a critical juncture. "Of course I'm not made at you! It's been a long flight, I'm just a bit tired and…go check out the view. Singapore city lights is quite beautiful."

"Aren't you going to dry your hair?"

"Air drying is one way to achieve that goal."

Lydia made a face, but didn't argue the point. "Lizzy, if I…"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes when Lydia failed to complete the sentence. "If you what?"

"Darcy called."

Elizabeth almost jumped off the bed. "When?! How? When?"

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "You were in the shower…he called that phone," she said, pointing at the hotel telephone.

 _"And?"_

"And nothing. He wanted to know whether we had a good flight, whether we were okay, blah blah blah…and the same damn instructions I've been told 7 bajillion times already. He was crotchety and annoying."

It was the complete lackadaisical attitude in Lydia's voice that pushed Elizabeth over the edge. "And I bet you didn't even have the courtesy to say 'thank you', did you? You're such a…such an ungrateful wretch!"

Lydia gasped in surprise. "Hey! I…that's…don't be so mean!"

"Mean? _Mean?!_ You don't have an iota of common sense in you, got yourself into this ridiculously awful situation…you've compromised yourself and put so many, _many_ people in completely untenable positions, we're all bending over backwards to helping you, and all you can do is whine and complain and be so utterly disrespectful to someone trying to help you."

Lydia's eyes were as wide as saucers. "I just said…"

"Well, don't!" Elizabeth snapped. "Don't just say anything. Don't _ever_ just say anything. Think. Think in that tiny, teeny pea-brain of yours about what you're about to say or do, and if it's something you would have said or done before you ever got arrested, then take that as a sign to keep your mouth shut."

"What on earth has gotten into you Lizzy? I should have asked for Jane!"

"You know what Lydia? You shouldn't have asked for _anyone_. All this time, I thought you were silly and stupid like Mother, but no. You're just callow and selfish like Dad. It's you you you. It's all about Lydia, and to hell with everyone else. I'm so…you know, no one is expecting you to turn into Jane overnight. Or ever. But a modicum of gratitude, or some common sense is almost mandatory at this point."

Elizabeth fell back onto her bed, and rapidly blinked back tears of anger and frustration. It wasn't _all_ Lydia's fault, and she should apologise for her outburst, but Elizabeth was bone weary of putting up a brave front, of fixing everyone's problems, and not seeing a change in anything or anyone around her. One was supposed to stick by their loved ones through thick and thin, but she was sick and tired of doing precisely that. Elizabeth wondered – not for the first time – if Lydia had been less self-absorbed and more circumspect at that last meeting, whether Darcy would have been so quick to give up.

Jane and Charlotte had both insisted – no, _demanded_ – that she say and do nothing at that time, and instead concentrate on getting through her finals. Elizabeth did not regret following their advice. But now, her finals were over, and once George was hopefully dealt with, she was going to be faced with some serious decision making.

Elizabeth sighed deeply. She didn't bother sitting up or even looking at Lydia, but she did start to speak. "Lydia, look…"

"It's true then," Lydia interrupted her.

"What's true?"

"Mary told me…" Lydia scoffed. "Well, when does Mary ever just _tell_ me anything? She scolded me and berated me and told me that it was because of me that you and Darcy broke up. That I was the reason for the rift between Dad and you and Jane. That I would regret insisting you come with me, because if she were you, she'd push me in front of a moving train and call it a day's work."

At this, Elizabeth did sit up. Her immediate thought was that Mary's choice of words had been in poor taste, but, pushed to the edge, her own diatribe had not been much better. Elizabeth struggled to find the right thing to say. "I would never push you in front of a moving train, Lydia. I don't hate you. I just…I think I've reached my limit. I can't walk this tightrope anymore, being annoyed inside and trying to keep the peace and pretending and…"

Lydia knotted her fingers together. "It's all so complicated and harder than I thought. I thought…first…at that meeting, after Mary…if I insisted enough, Darcy would be here with us and then the two of you would just…"

"Just what? Make up, like in a movie?"

Lydia nodded. "Why wouldn't you have?"

"Because life isn't a movie! If all that needed to happen was for us to be in the same room together, I can well manage that on my own. Do you have _any_ idea how terrible it looked, you being so selfish and petulant and insisting on having your own way, when Darcy and Richard and Dave had done so much to help you? _That_ is why Darcy and I aren't together – because he thinks my family is bat crap crazy and that I'm forever stick by you guys."

"I thought I was helping," Lydia said in a small voice.

Elizabeth reached over and held Lydia's hand. "I know," she said in a much softer voice. "I appreciate that, Lydia. But you can't…you need to start growing up now. You can't just get your own way because you insist. And it's also not okay to demand that it's your way or the highway. You need to learn to stop being so selfish, even if you're coming from a good place."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you he called. I figured that he'd worry and call you back. I was playing hard to get for you."

"Lydia. Oh, Lydia. It's not a game. None of this is a game. You have to stop scheming. Yes, Darcy could have worried. He could have also thought that we were a pair of incompetent, ungrateful wretches and he shouldn't waste another minute of his time on us."

Lydia bit her lower lip. "What are you going to do?"

"Fix this, obviously." Elizabeth sighed. "I'm going to get dressed, go out and get dinner for us. Can I trust you to speak to no one, do nothing, and stay inside this room until I come back?"

Lydia nodded mutely.

"And what do you do if George contacts you?"

"Call you?"

" _WRONG!_ You _first_ contact Richard. _Then_ you call me."

Lydia nodded, wide-eyed. Biting her tongue, Elizabeth briskly walked up to the dressing table, and fished out Lydia's lipstick from her bag.

 _Richard 2. Elizabeth_ , she wrote in big, bold letters on the mirror. "Now you won't forget."

* * *

Elizabeth fished out her cellphone as soon as she felt it beep.

 _Darcy: Everything okay?_

 _Yes,_ Elizabeth typed. _Sorry I missed your call. I'm also really sorry that Lydia is such a selfish idiot. I heard she was being stupid when you called._

It took over five minutes to get a response.

 _Darcy: It's fine, she was fine. You don't have to keep apologising to me for others. It's going to get tiring after a while. And you should never have to apologise for other people. Doesn't it drain you?_

There was no point apologising for Lydia; this was precisely what Darcy had meant when he had talked about frustrations and resentments. Constant apologies were going to take its eventual toll, and, going by her outburst with Lydia, it already had. _It's more draining at the end of day than early morning,_ she typed. It seemed a suitably lighthearted response, all things considered.

 _Darcy: I hope you had a good flight. I'm sorry it was such a cheap flight and is such a cheap hotel, but Richard insisted on it._

A few minutes later, Darcy sent another message. _Insisted not because of budgetary issues, you understand. He insisted on it for appearances, just in case things went wrong and George ended up meeting you._

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. _Will you relax,_ she typed. _I didn't think for a moment that you guys were penny-pinching._ She tried a different tack. _How's the trial been so far?_

In fact, Darcy or no Darcy, Elizabeth knew deep down that she had reached the end of her tether when it came to her family. She couldn't keep doing this. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted, and felt so bitter when it came to her family.

Of course…of course, there was an easy, obvious answer. There was no reason to live like this, if she didn't want to.

She looked down at her phone, and read the latest message from Darcy. As she started typing a response, the phone vibrated again, and she read the message from Lydia. Then she quickly retyped her response to Darcy.

 _Sorry, have to go. It's happening. GW just called L; he somehow made it and is on his way to see her. Will keep you posted._

* * *

 **A/N: Happy 2020 everyone! Sorry for the ridiculous delay in updates; in the middle of a super annoying fight with my awful landlady. Hope everyone has a kickass 2020!**


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